To Love-Ru: Memories, Adventures and New Troubles
by Tensouls
Summary: Traumatized by many "events" in the past. Through struggle, an orange hair boy moves on...with his mind still being haunted by all those experiences he went through. But one day, his life is once again slips away from the path that he has determined to walk on after an unexpected event. Will he continue to struggle, to fight? Or get drowned by all the troubles approaching him?
1. Chapter 1: A girl who fell from the sky

**Good day everyone, English is my second language so there might be grammar mistakes in this fic, therefore I'll try to improve my writing skill in the future chapters. I hope you guys don't mind.**

 **Any feedback or review about this story would be appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **To** **Love** **-Ru : Memories, Adventures and New Troubles**

… **.**

This is a story about one of the members of Yorozuya.

This is also a story about a ton of troubles ready to strike that member of them.

A small story of a young boy.

Ever since he went through all the "events" that didn't really much nice to him. His life had slipped away from the road that fate has originally decided for him.

The boy struggled, he fought and came back to the peaceful life of his…..until more troubles continue to appear again, various and multifarious in many forms such as…

A princess who fell from the sky ?

A assassin who was infamous all over the galaxy ?

Fiance ? Guardian ?

With all the troubles that are approaching to his life, could the boy regains his peaceful life together with the path that he walked on ? Or he himself will accept to get drowned by these problems once again ?

The answer will be depended on this orange hair boy.

…..and now…

The story of the boy named Yuuki Rito begins.

…..

 _ **ARC 1: Lala Satalin Deviluke**_

 **Chapter 1 :** **A girl who fell from the sky.**

On top of several high buildings covered in fainted moon lights, a chase is taking place without anyone known. Two man in black suit are surrounding a pink hair girl as she was cornered to an edge of the building.

"We're finally found you."

"We never thought you would run away to a remote area like this"-one of them move close to the young girl."This game of tag is end now."

"If you would, please come back with us."

The girl remains silent, she doesn't reply to them.

Meanwhile on the sky, the moon slowly faded away as clouds are approaching…

…

"Haahh~, so cute."-a male student speaks while he is staring at a group full of beautiful long leg girls in the tennis club.

Standing near him is a boy who is squirming with an orange juice can in hand, one distinct feature of this boy is that his right hand which holding the can is fully covered in bandage, the boy widen his eye slightly at his friend.

"No matter how you look at it, Sairenji Haruna-chan is so cute right Rito ?"

"Huh ?...uh…yeah, Sairenji is truly charming, but what about it ?"

His friend looks back at him, laughing and shaking his head.

"Well, honestly you don't have to pretend like that Rito, every boy who see their dream girl are also says that they're cute."-he slaps on the orange hair boy's shoulder."Don't be shy, I'm your friend so be honest."

"Sorry Saruyama, I don't know what are you talking about, and what dream girl ?"

Saruyama widen his eye at the question of the boy, he then puts a hand over the boy shoulder pulls him to an opened window nearby. Moving his face down to look at one of the tennis club members.

"Look closely Rito ! That beautiful face, that sweet pink lip, that silky blue short hair, that gentle manner. Didn't all of that features belong to your beloved dream girl !?"-Saruyama says as he pushes Rito head outside the window making the boy almost fall down.

"Ahh ! Don't just suddenly push out people like that, let go of me Saruyama !"

Saruyama releases the orange hair boy just like he wanted, Rito hurriedly picks up the orange juice can that rolling on the floor. He opens it and sips a small amount of it.

"Come on, be honest. I already known you have feeling for Haruna-chan back in middle school."

"Pfft !"-Rito chokes, didn't expect that question, his face turns red like a tomato."What !? Middle school ?...when ?!"

There was a pause after that.

"You….don't remember ?"

"I remember that I did studied with Sairenji back in middle school, but where did the I has feeling stuff came from ?"-the boy continues to sip a small amount of his drink.

Saruyama looks down, gritting his teeth slightly. Rito watches as he has no idea what Saruyama is doing, suddenly, he raises his hand up punching the air and speaks with an excited tone.

"Good ! Then that's mean I can freely confess to Haruna-chan ! Anyway, I better do that right now."

Saruyama turns and runs on full speed to the staircase that lead down to the school field at the corner of the corridor. Rito's eye follow his friend's back, muttering.

"Good luck."- his voice is small, small enough for no one but him to hear.

He closes the window and goes back to class. However, Rito doesn't know, Saruyama is still standing at the corner observing the demeanor of the boy. He thought that Rito would run after him and stop him, but it's seem that it will never happen.

And turns out the confession which Saruyama told the boy that he was going to do was just an act.

…..he really doesn't remember anything ?

A hand slaps his back lightly, cut short Saruyama thought.

"Hey, what are you doing standing out here Saruyama ?"

Saruyama recognizes that voice, he turns and looks at a brown hair boy student who is above him one step on the stair. Somehow, Saruyama's eyes reflect a little bit of sadness.

"..ne Ito, is Rito really doesn't remember anything of that time anymore ?"

Knowing the meaning of the question, the brown hair boy named Ito chuckles, he puts a hand around Saruyama's shoulder.

"Is not really like that, he's still remember the name of a friend who standing next to me right here, isn't he ?"

"Hahaha, well that's true."

The two friends then go back to their class prepairing for the afternoon lessons.

…

Later, after a few rings signaling that classes have ended, many of the students go back to their home except for some still hanging around in the school ground.

And this time, the orange boy is also one of them as he is searching through each of the bookshelf to find the material that he's looking for in the library.

…..book about nature…nature….there you are.

The boy takes a small book from on top of the shelf, this is a second one in two books that he's going to borrow from the school library to concult a few things. There're still many useful documents for Rito to borrow but to him two books are enough.

"Yo, Rito, what are you reading ?"

The orange hair student looks over at the direction where the voice came from and he see a black spikey hair boy. Well, his hair is not entirely spikey since most of it were slightly curled at the top. If you just take a quick glance you will just believe his hair is spikey.

"Nature and botanical, you came here to borrow book too huh, Daigo ?"

The black hair boy whose name is Daigo shows the two book holding in his hand.

"Uh huh, human's brain structure and how memory work, I need these to explain a few issues for that nun at home."

After a few words, both quickly move to the librarian desk to process the book borrowing procedure. While waiting, Daigo suddenly turns to Rito as he remembered something.

"Right, there're some new books about astronomy at the bookshelf number 5."

"Really, thanks."-the orange hair boy eyes sparkle at the news.

"You welcome."-receiving the book the boy walks toward the door and waves back at Rito."see ya."

The orange hair boy also waves back and continue with his searching for the new books that his friend just told him.

…..

By the time Rito walked out of school, the sky has already got darker as a few last ray of sun lights slowly fade away. The boy could clearly see many visible stars at a small part of the sky that opposite the sun, some were twinkling a little.

Rito is walking on a path lies next to a big river, there's also a straight line of grass field connect it from two-sided. This path was his daily routine as it was a place familiar to him.

Putting all the borrowing books to school bag, the orange hair boy looks up on the sky, thinking.

…looks like there won't be any cloud up there tonight, I wonder if I could see the Milky Way ?

Right on that moment, something caught his eyes.

A shooting star just flew pass in the middle of heavens and suddenly stopped, sparkling non stop. Rito squints his eyes as he notices the unusual behavior of that star.

…huh ?...that's not shooting star…

The weird star keeps sparkling and the more he stays there looking, the more it gets bigger. It's like the star is…

…..is heading to my direction…..

Immediately after that, a very loud explosion echos through the entire neighborhood, driving away the peaceful atmosphere. And right on the spot where Rito is standing, a column of smoke rises.

…

In a nearby house, a young girl is lying on the sofa, taking a cookie from the dish placed on the table and eats it each time she turns over a page of a manga in hand. The girl doesn't seem to care about the explosion that was just happened.

Creaking!

Hearing the sound of a door opened, the young girl puts the manga down and takes a quick glance at the person who just came in and she widen her eyes in surprised.

"R…Rito ! Why is your clothe all wet?!"

"…some…something happened….i fell down the river…"-the orange hair student slowly walk in, water from his face, his hair and uniform drip down the floor rapidly.

… _..a few minutes ago…_

 _Before the impact, Rito quickly jumped down to the grass field next to him to avoid it. But right before his foot could touch the ground, the force from the explosion threw him away a few meters. Therefore, the boy fell into the river._

 _The bottom of this river was quite deep but fortunately it still has some of the shallows spot for him to catch a breath. Hurriedly swimming back to the water surface, the boy eventually made it back to the shore._

 _As he stepped forward, Rito noticed the area around him was filled with a massive cover of dust._

… _.bag….where is my bag ?_

 _Just when the orange hair boy was about to fall into the river, he threw his bag on the green grass field nearby._

 _It would be a problem if those things fell into the river with him._

 _Waiting for the smoke around him to fade away , the boy finally found his school bag_ _as he got a better view_ _. While picking it up Rito realized the bandage which covered his right hand was completely wet and some of it pieces started to fall out._

 _He took off his school blazer, squeezing it to dry and twining around his right arm from shoulder to the end of each fingers._

 _After that, he slowly moved up to the hole where the weird star just crashed, he could still see smoke rising from the thing itself. The boy moved closer and he was shocked at the sight, the thing that lied in that smoke was not a meteor like he thought._

 _It was….._

… _a spaceship…?!_

 _Putting down the school bag, he went near the "ship" to examine it. The size of this spaceship was small, perhaps it could allow only one person to operate it. And indeed, the ship had a small hole located in the middle of it body, inside it was a seat, and it empty._

 _However, just when Rito began to climb on it to take a closer look, the whole spaceship started sparking with electricity._

 _In this moment, anyone could figure out what was about to happen._

… _..eh ?_

 _ **BOOM !**_

 _Well, due to not have enough time to run the orange hair boy was being threw into the river….again._

Back to the present, the young girl stares at the boy who put the tower on his head, she feels it hard to believe the story.

"So…you mean that spaceship was crashed right where you stood then exploded causing you to fell into the river twice ?"

"Yeah."

"Rito, could it be that you have hallucination again?"

The boy froze upon hearing the question.

"..ahaha, you right, that's have to be it. How could somebody believe a story like that, I also think that I'm having a hallucination just now."-he scratches his cheek while putting on a thin smile.

"Do you need medicine ? I can go and buy it for you."

"No, I'm fine Mikan, I just need a little rest."

"Hm, are you sure ?"-Mikan stares at her brother with suspicious.

"..I-I'm sure."

"Well, if you say so, I'll carry your school bag upstairs, just keep cleaning yourself dry."

"No, no need, I can carry it myself."-the boy says as Mikan grabs his school bag.

"Rito, if you even hesitate when your sister offers her help then how can you confess to girls ?"

"Confess ?! Where did it come from ?!"-his face turns red.

"Nevermind."-with that said, she carries the school bag upstairs."Ah, otou-san said he'll be home late tonight, and Ito is busy at Yorozuya."

…Yorozuya….right, it's his shift today.

"I see."

…..

"What ?! You fell down the river twice, Ahahaha~~!-Saruyama laughs, rolling around on his bed.

"Don't laugh ! I got drown twice and at least my bag was not wet or else I have to rewrite everything."-the boy voice rang from the phone in his hand.

"Haha, sorry, I didn't know you were this clumsy."

"Forget it, back to this afternoon, how is it with you ?"

"Huh ? What do you mean this afternoon ?"

"You said you will confess to Sairenji, so…did she accepted it ?"

"Oh~, is my friend jealous of me ?-Saruyama teases.

"J-j-jealous ?! What are you saying ?"-the boy face goes all red again.

"It was a joke, I just said that for fun."

"….eh…..?"-all thoughts in the boy head disappear."….joke….."

"Honestly, you still haven't changed at all, still naïve and always shy around girl."

"….."

Not hearing any response from the other side, Saruyama continues.

"If I told you to imagine a girl in a swimsuit right now your face is definitely gonna goes all red, eye spinning."

A light sound echoes in the phone after Saruyama finished his words.

"Huh ? What was that ?"

"I d-d-dropped my phone."-the orange hair boy speaks, his voice is slightly shaken.

"Hahaha ! See, I told you ! You haven't changed a bit."

"…d-don't just suddenly talk about that kind of stuff !"

"Rito, try to build up resistance to girls then I'll help you to confess to Haruna-chan, ok."

Saruyama hangs up right after that.

…..

On top of a tall building at the center of Tokyo, two man in black suit are chasing a pink hair girl and they stop at an edge of the building…

"Now, if you would, please come with us."

The girl remains silent, she takes out a silver bracelets and wear it.

"You ?! This is a dead end ! Don't try to run away !"

The night breeze blows the girl pink long hair, she will never accept this kind of fate.

"No."

[Teleport]

A bright light covers the whole rooftop of the building.

The girl has disappeared…..

…

….that Saruyama, teasing me although he already know that I'm always shy around girls…

…but….

….why did he kept telling me that I have feeling for Sairenji ?

Rito places the clothe tray on the washing-machine, he's still wearing the school uniform which dried a few minutes ago. He walks in a small bathroom, dipping his hand into the water inside the bathtub.

…..it warm enough….

Folding both of his sleeves up, he picks some pieces of the bandage that are still sticking to his right arm. While doing it, an image of that weird spaceship back at the river appears in his thought.

That thing is like an illusion, it suddenly appeared out of nowhere and then exploded, didn't leave any traces left.

Somehow, to Rito this "illusion" is like a bad luck, it's like a signal informs him that many troubles are coming to him, pressing him down.

And….it felt like the ship was real.

As the orange boy lost in thought, the water inside his bathtub starts to bubble up and spreads, some electricity even mixed in there which caught the boy attention.

"Huh ?"

A second later, water shoot out everywhere in the room. Before Rito could realize his body and clothe is completely soaking wet. He didn't understand what just happened, small drop keep dripping on his clothes, his hair.

His bang which usually covers his forehead has hang down covering half of his face.

Rito eyes filled with shocked as he looks straight ahead. In front of him…is a girl.

"Teleportation is successful~."-the girl speaks in a happy tone.

Her face was attracted with emerald green eyes and a long bubble gum pink hair extends down to her knee. She stretches out her hand, haven't notice the look of an orange hair boy standing nearby.

"Hm ?"-She turns to the shocked boy.

At this moment, Rito is frozen completely, his face paled as each seconds pass.

That strange girl not only appears in surprised but she's also…..not wearing anything, literally.

With the boy timid inner nature around girls, he can only has one option to make….run away.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH !"

He toss the bathroom door and and spurts out the corridor like there are no tomorrow, eventually he slipped and hit the floor in the middle of the house corridor.

"R-Rito ! What happened ?!"-his sister, Mikan, runs out from the living room staring at him who lying on the floor, water from the boy wet clothe drip making a line from the bath.

"M-Mi-Mikan !...t-t-t-there's…a person…in the bath."-he says pointing a shaking finger toward the bathroom, a hint of nervous in his voice.

"Huh ?"-she hastily walks in there."There's no one in here."

"There is, at the bathtub."

"Where ? I don't see anything."

"Eh ?"-the boy gets up, standing behind Mikan and looks in.

True to what Mikan said, there's no one in here. The ceiling, the walls is still wet but…there's nobody in the bathtub like before.

"S-strange…"

"Rito, are you sure you really okay ?"-Mikan looks back to her brother, eyes filled with worry.

"Yes, I did saw it ! A girl was standing in here just a moment ago !"

"A girl ? Had you seen her face ?"

"I had, she has emerald green eyes, a long pink hair and then she was almost nak-"-he stops as he couldn't say any further.

Suddenly Mikan chuckles.

"Rito, I know you are of that age now, but you should at least know the difference between fantasies and reality or your sister will be embarrassed."

"…."-Rito sweat drops as he doesn't have anything to prove to his sister that what he saw back then was true.

The water inside the bathtub suddenly boils and shoots out everywhere, a strange girl appears right after that.

Could it be that all of this was just a hallucination ?

….

Rito walks up the stair in a slow pace, a small towel is hanging on his shoulder. He recalls back to both the previous situation in the bathroom and that stranged spaceship.

…..am I having a hallucination again ?

Rito goes to the desk in his room, opens his school bag and takes out the books borrowed from the library. However, unknown to him, a pink hair girl is sitting on his bed staring at him while he lost in though.

….if….if I really have another hallucination again then….what to do ?

He thinks, frowning slightly as a piece of memories, a piece of that "event" from the past comes to him.

But then a voice interrupts his line of thought.

"Ah."

"Huh ?"

Rito follows the direction of the voice and he see a pink hair girl is sitting on his bed, her finger points down to a towel which covered her body. Her expression is calm, a little cheerful like nothing is happens.

"I'm borrowing this towel of yours."

Like a natural reaction, Rito hurriedly steps back to a corner, both hands cover his red face since the girl only worn a towel covered from her bosom to her slender thigh.

At least it's a little better than before.

"W-who are you ?"

"Me ? I'm Lala."

"…!"-the boy lower down his hand slowly.

"I'm came from the planet Deviluke."

"…planet ? Then you are.."

"Well, I'm an alien, for you Earthling I guess."-the girl named Lala replies with a smile.

…..so, everything happened back then was not a hallucination…I'm glad.

The orange hair boy signs in relief.

Watching the boy signing, the alien girl thinks he still doubt her as she doesn't know that he signs because he was glad.

"Hm, it's seem that you don't believe me, then here, look at this."-she turns around, revealing a tail had a heart shape on top, wavering."Earthling don't have a tail like this, right ?"

Instead of surprised, the boy panicked, that girl truly doesn't wear anything except a towel.

"Oh, just because I have a tail, that doesn't mean I transform if I look at full moon."

"Al-alright, I get it so hide it quickly, use this towel of mine."-the boy gives Lala the towel hanging on his shoulder, but it's too small.

Rito quickly moves to a wardrobe near his bed, taking out a hoodie with a logo N7 sticked on the right chest.

"Here, wear it or you will catch a cold."-the boy gives the hoodie to the alien girl while looking away.

"Thank you~, why are you blushing ? So cute. "

After waiting for the girl to put it on, he asks.

"Why did you appear in the bathtub all of a sudden ?"

"That's because I used this !"-Lala raises up her hand showing a silver bracelet."It's my invention, Pyon-Pyon-Warp-kun ! It can't locate the destination but it could warp me to any places in a short distance."

No matter how you look at it, it's strange, an alien girl could speak Japanese language, many people would recognize this fact.

…but…

….the orange hair boy is still listen, still remain silent to hear the girl explanation about her invention.

He doesn't seem to mind with that fact.

"I used this in emergency and was teleported to your bathtub by accident."

…emergency ?

"I…..was being chased."-Lala puts on a worried expression that replaces the cheerful smile of her."I thought I would be safe if I came to this planet, but I didn't expect that my pursuers have followed me here. If I didn't use this, I could have…"

"…."

"LALA-SAMA !"

The window opened and a small creature bursts into the boy's room hugging Lala.

"Peke !"

"Lala-sama, are you alright ?"

"I'm so happy ~! You were able to escape, too."

"Yes, I followed the trace of yours ship in this area and finally found you….huh ?"-that creature stares at the boy."Lala-sama, who is that dull-looking boy ?"

Rito sweat drops at the question.

"Ah, he's the one who lives here…oh yes, I haven't asked for your name yet."

"Rito….Yuuki Rito, i-it's a pleasure to meet you."-he bows down his head politely.

"This is Peke, he's an all-purpose custom robot I made."

Upon observing Peke, Rito notices that her body is small enough to neatly lie in Lala two arms. She's wearing a white jacket with yellow pattern on edges and a blue shirt with red tie in-between. Her back grows a devil-like wings which took a curl shape at the end.

She has a round head with two thick swirl shape black eyes. Peke appearance reminds the orange hair boy of a blue robotic cat that a certain white hair friend refer to him sometime.

"Nice to meet you."-the small robot waves at him and he waves back.

"Well then Peke, I'll leave it to you."

"Understood !"

Lala takes off the hoodie she just wearing and throws it on the bed.

"Wah ! Don't take off your clothes so sudden like that !"-the boy swings round, crimson color spreads all over his face.

[Change ! Dress Form !]

Peke whole body emits a strong light, cloths start to form around Lala bit by bit.

"Tada~~!"

Rito takes a glance over his shoulder to see the dress. From what he can describe it has the same design as the one Peke wears but takes on a more feminity appearance with a skirt. The dress most attractive feature is a big hat on top of the alien girl's head, Rito could see Peke eyes on it and two devil-like wings grow on each side.

The dress she is wearing gives off a strange aura, truly belong to that of an alien.

"It's not too tight, is it Lala-sama ?"

"No, it's perfect. I'm glad you came here so quickly, without you I wouldn't have anything to wear."-Lala turns to the highschool boy who still looking at her dress in silent."How is it ? Does it look good, Rito ?"

"…uh…yeah."-the boy orange eyes make a sudden swift turn toward the window that was fully opened when Peke came in his room, his eyebrow narrow slightly as a faint breeze flows in.

"By the way, what do you plan to do now, Lala-sama ?"

"Well, I have a few ideas."

At that moment, in a blink of an eye, two men in black suit appear in front of the girl very eye and surround her, they also have a tail behind them just like Lala but with a different shape at the end of it.

"…!"

Their eye glare at the pink hair girl through the sunglasses.

"Honestly, what a troublesome lady, perhaps I should have restricted your moments by typing your hand and feet until we leave this isolated planet."

"….Peke.."-Lala frowns, a tick mark appear on her head."Didn't I tell you to be careful about people following you ?"

"Y-yes, I'm sorry."

"Ahh~, stupid Peke ! Now everything just went down the drain !"-the alien girl raises both hands on the air, waving like a child.

"Well, are you prepare now ?"-one of the two men speaks as they step closer.

"Lala-sama, why don't you use that bracelet ?"

"I can't, if we used this bracelet once it needs to recharge energy for a whole day to be used again."

Before Lala could react, a man has grabs her hand.

"Ah !"

"Come on, we have to go !"

"No…let me go !"

Despite the pink hair girl yells, the alien man in black suit still won't release her. The more she struggles, the more he grabs her tighter.

The three alien are no longer pay any attention to an orange hair boy standing near there. Knowing that, he looks down at his feet, the two men are trampling on his carpet with their shoes and the girl is yelling as loud as she can trying to break loose.

It's happening, right in front of him, a girl is about to be kidnapped by two strangers inside his own room.

He doesn't know the relationships between three of them.

He doesn't even know what leads to this situation.

Watching a girl surrounded by two men in black suit, what will he do ?

In that moment, no one sees the expression of the boy.

No one knows what thought are in the boy's mind.

"Let me go !"-Lala screams.

Today, he got thrown down the river twice by a spaceship, met a girl who didn't wear any clothes suddenly appeared in the middle of the bathroom called herself an alien came from planet Deviluke, witness two guys wearing black suit are try to take the pink hair girl away in his room.

This must be an opening to all the troubles that are about to crush him.

Rito lets out a light sigh and approaches them, beginning to rescue that alien girl.

…..

"Hm, what is Rito doing upstairs ? He's making so much noise."-Mikan, the younger sister of the orange hair boy, says while looking up the ceiling.

Currently, the young girl is eating cookie and reading manga like usual until she hears another door sound.

Creaking !

She looks back at the door to see the person who just came in.

"I'm home."

"Ito, welcome home, have you finished your work at Yorozuya ?"

"Yeah, I already done my shift today."-hearing loud noise on the upper floor, he looks up the stairs."Who's up there, Rito ?"

"Only him, I don't know what he's doing that making so much noise."

"….i see."

The noise upstairs starts to get louder and louder and suddenly goes to dead silence.

"Oh, it stops."

Listening to the noise carefully, Ito looks down at a pile of shoes lying tidy on the floor for a few seconds then he walks to the living room with Mikan.

"Mikan, our house just had a few uninvited guests."

"Huh ?"

….…..

Right now, the alien girl is astonished, several minutes ago she thought that she would never be able to get away from those men. But that thought of hers vanished immediately when an orange hair boy pushed the man away, grabbing her hand and escaped through the window.

The two are running on top the roof, jumping from places to places.

"Rito…why ?"

"This is the right thing to do, nobody can just stay quiet while a girl was about to be kidnapped right in front of them."

Lala looks at the highschool student's back, it were just before that he was still a shy boy blushing often. And now, his tone is calm like he changed to a different person, holding her tender hand. Lala can't make out what kind of expression the boy is making as she is running behind him.

Meanwhile, in a small street nearby, a blue hair girl is walking with her small dog. As she is heading back to her apartment, she notices two shadows are moving rapidly on the rooftops.

"Is that…..a thief ?"-carefully observing, she quickly recognizes one of them as she sees a familiar orange hair boy."Yu…..Yuuki-kun ?"

The two continue to run to a park nearby.

"Hey, can you explain why those men are chasing you ?"

"Huh ?...well….actually, i-"

"UHHOOOOHHH !"-a roar drowns Lala words.

With an immense strength, one of the men in black suit lifts up a whole truck and throws it ahead the direction Rito and Lala is running to stop their path.

"Do not interfere, Earthling."

Rito quickly stands in front of the girl to take precaution.

"Lala-sama, please stop trying to run away from home."

"I don't want to."

The boy freezes as he hears the word "run away", not fully understand what that man just said.

…run….from home…?

"I have had enough, I don't care if I'm a successor or whatever ! I'm tired of meeting future husband candidate everyday !"

"But this is your father will, Lala-sama."

"Ble~, I don't care."

Lala takes out a device that has the same shape as a standard phone, she press several buttons in it.

"Go-Go Vacuum-kun."

The phone screen brighten and a strong wind appears on the boy head. As the boy looks up he sees a robotic poulp with many small tentacles attached to it.

"Oh no ! It's one of Lala-sama's invention !"-one of the men says aloud as their face show that they are afraid of it.

"Go ! Suck them up !"

Just like the name was told, that robotic poulp sucks both men into it mouth,

"….is that…a vacuum machine ?"-Rito wonders.

However, the poulp doesn't stop and in fact, it sucks everything around it, the longer it sucks the stronger the force is.

At some points the force is so strong that it roots up all the tree near there, even the children playground, from swing to lightpub, everything share the same fate for being suck into the machine.

The orange hair boy himself also get involved by the giant vacuum machine.

"Lala, turn it off !"

Lala is flying in the middle of the air thanks to the wing on her hat, she puts a hand on her chin while thinking.

"Lala-sama, it's something wrong ?"-Peke asks.

"Hm…this thing…..how do I stop it ?"

"Heh ?"

The teenage boy's stunned at the unexpected word of the alien girl.

Today, many troubles has caused enough problems to him, and this time he decides that…

…..it has to be ended…..

Rito raises his right hand which covered in bandage toward the poulp mouth. Suddenly the robot becomes overloaded, it head bloats up like another guts of wind flows into it mouth causing the force it creates inside to go over limit.

After that, the poulp explores.

…..

Next morning…

While on his way to Sainan highschool, the teenage boy thinks a lot about what were happened yesterday.

 _After the explosion, the orange hair boy was thrown into a bush. Lala came to him, still flying in mid-air._

" _E hehe~, sorry I made that a long time ago so I forgot how to turn if off."_

"… _."-he didn't respond as he didn't know what to say in this situation._

" _Anyhow, thank you Rito, I'm happy you saved me."_

 _With a few words, the alien girl flew away with a grateful smile formed on her lip leaving the boy with a tons of things and trees lying around him._

He sighs, telling himself that at least the girl didn't use that vacuum machine in his room because if she did it would be a disaster.

Another line of thought comes to his mind as he remembers about the trouble that one of the men in black suit said, Lala is running away from home, she came even this far due to being forced to marry one of the future husband candidates.

Being binded to a person that you don't have any feeling toward them in the future must has been very hard for Lala.

…..ah, now that reminds me…why is Saruyama keep saying I have feeling for Sairenji ?

"Good morning, Yuuki-kun."-a girl standing in a small street speaks as she sees the orange hair boy.

"…Sairenji, good morning."

The boy stands, a hint of surprise could be seen in the same hair color eyes of the boy as in front of him is a figure of a girl that Saruyama often tells him. She has a short blue hair, and her eyes which has the same color as her hair is looking directly at the boy like she has something that she wants to tell him.

"Sairenji, Is something the matter ?"

"…um…etou…"-Sairenji hesitates, trying to find the right word.

She has been standing here waiting for a person, there are many questions that she wants to ask that person ever since she saw him hurriedly running on the rooftop last night, that person also held hand with another girl.

That is the fact that made her curious and wants to know.

"Yesterday…i…"

"Rito~."

A sweet voice suddenly resounds from the sky making the two students look up in wonder, the called boy widen his eyes as that voice belongs to a pink hair girl he met yesterday.

"Rito, after what happened yesterday…i…"-she smiles brightly."I think I've liked you, so let's get marry~~. "

The orange hair boy face is burning red as he's embarrassed at the girl proposal.

"Huh ?! G-get m-m-marry ?! Why ?!"

"Ne~~, so do you like me ?"-Lala ignores the question and goes on hugging his hand, pressing her body against him.

Sairenji could only stands there watching, her eyes soften.

"Sairenji ?"-the boy calls her as he notices that.

"Ah ! No, nevermind, I'll be going then."-She turns her back to the boy and doesn't forget to say this."Congratulations."

Sairenji then walks away, Rito watches her until she's no longer in his sight, he sweat drops.

He never thought he would be confessed by a girl that he only met once, if Saruyama knows this, he would tear the boy apart out of jealously.

The boy takes a quick glance at Lala smiling expression. It can be sure that no one can denies the beauty of this girl who came from another planet, long velvety pink hair, sparkle emerald green eyes. Lala truly is very beautiful.

However…

Right now, that isn't what the boy has in mind.

He is worry, his face is slightly pale when he recalls back to the reason she came here which was because she couldn't stand at being forced to meet and marry one of the candidates.

Those alien men in black suit will definitely come back.

And a mass of troubles will definitely come to him like misfortune always hanging on a certain black spikey-hair boy.

The boy closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and sighs.

"Lala…"

"Hm ?"

"About the proposal…I'M SORRY !"

Finally, he runs away.

...

At that time, outside the Earth atmosphere, a spaceship is floating endlessly. Inside it are three man, each of them has a black tail like the alien girl.

"I see, so you two can't even handle her by yourselves."-a tall man wearing full body armor says.

The two men in black suit can't help but remain silent.

"Fine then, I shall go down the Earth next."-the man sighs as he says that."What a troublesome princess…"

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of the first chapter, so what do you guys think about the orange hair boy and the brown hair boy ?**

 **I might made Rito a little OC than in the first manga since this personality of his came from it sequel, Darkness. To be honest, i like the current him in the To Love Ru Darkness better than the old one. But in this story, Rito characteristic will be slightly different and I'll let you guys see that in the future.**

 **About the brown hair boy...Yuuki Ito. He's an original character, i know that some readers might not like the idea of having an OC as a main character. But don't worry, i'll make sure Ito won't get involve too deep in the story...well...not in this current arc anyway. There are many reasons why i created this character and i'll reveal it later in future chapter.**

 **Now, for Saruyama. Well, you guys might wonder why I mention him here. In the manga, him main role was comedy only, but in this fanfic he will have an important role relate to Rito past, silly though, he is my second favorite male character in the manga due to his humor, that's is everything i could say about him at the moment.**

 **Finally, after you read this chapter you might already recognized some of the references I put in. Well then, how many of it can you guys guess ? Also, you might need to keep on hold of those references because...one of it might relate to the "event" that Rito went through in the past.**

 **And...that's is everything, I will see you guys in the next chapter. Thank you and have a good day.**


	2. Chapter 2: Great escape-Emotion

**Good day, chapter 2 is finally out, I hope my grammar is improved in this one.**

 **Enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2** **: ~Great escape_Emotion~**

" _Rito, I think I've liked you…"-the girl named Lala places both hand on her cheek, blushing."So let's get marry~!"_

" _Wh- no ! No wait !"_

"Nya~."

The teenage boy opens his eye, fully awake, looking down at a calico cat in dumbfound as he licks the boy fingers.

…a dream ?

Currently, Rito is leaning against the wall on his bed while sticking his hand out the window. Yesterday, the orange hair boy had admired the stars till midnight and fell asleep in that position.

There's a reason for that.

He couldn't sleep, and it's because of the pink hair girl confession from yesterday morning.

He couldn't close his eye, because a part of that confession made him felt uneasy.

He couldn't get himself to lie down at that time, because that girl had confessed to him when she only met him once.

And it's also because of the troublesome marriage, inherit issue of her.

The highschool boy feels worry for the alien girl and himself. Accepting all that future husband meetings is not a simple thing. That Devilukean girl must have been really desperate to the point that she has to run away to this place.

…perhaps, she must have feeling depressed about this.

Rito holds the calico cat in his arm and puts him on the bed, rubbing his belly.

….huh ?...wait.

Yesterday, Lala had confessed to him, she even wants to marry him. Didn't that mean she sees him as a future husband candidate ?!

….then…then it also means that….

He is officially gets involved in these problems of those aliens.

Rito face turns pale slightly, he could only sigh. The calico cat doesn't seem to pay any attention as he pulls out his belly to enjoy more the sensation of being rubbed gently by the orange hair boy, the cat feels so good that he lets out a groan like he wants to say."Yes~, yes, that's the spot, oh yes~~!"

After a few minutes of enjoying the blissful experience, the calico cat jumps out the window and landed on the roof below it. The cute calico cat looks at the boy, giving out a "nya" like he wants to thank him and makes a quick jump to another rooftop, disappeared from the boy sight.

Closing the window, Rito starts to lie down continuing his thought about the problems of that alien girl. As the window is closed, the wind is no longer flows into his room so it's a complete silence. Only a faint breath coming from somewhere remains….

…huh ?

The orange hair boy could hear it clearly, a faint breath of a person lying next to him, he slowly turns his head to his left. Lying next to him is the girl named Lala, the girl who declared she wanted to marry him yesterday.

The teenage boy rises up from his position almost instantly, he jumps out the bed and runs like hell to the door. He wants to scream but after seeing a girl lies next to him at a face-to-face distance, he couldn't get a single word out of his mouth like his throat is being blocked by an invisible force, he tries but it's no use. Moreover, unfortunately for him, since his timid nature around girls has got the better of him, his feet and arm has become paralyses making him collapses right on the floor.

…! # $! !

The poor boy still tries to crawl to the door. He stretches out his hand trying to reach the doorknob but he couldn't as it's still half a meter away from him, eventually, Rito has to use both his shaking legs to stand up and leans against a wall right next to his room door, calming himself down.

"…uh…um~."

Rito flinches looking back at the girl. Lala has got up, rubbing her still half-closed emerald green eyes. As she is sitting the blanket which covering her body begins to fall off, revealing the girl beautiful white skin.

"… #b%& !"-the boy stammers hard as his sanity is at risk.

"Rito, breakfast is ready-"-a voice of a young girl echo behind the door.

Mikan walks into her brother's room, the young girl stays silent at the sight. Her brother is leaning against the wall right next to her, pointing his tremble finger toward the pink hair girl who is stretching her hand on his bed while looking at his sister. His expression is mixed with all kind of emotion colors blue, purple and red. He couldn't even utter a word.

"Morning Mikan, why are you keep standing in front of Rito room ?"-the brown hair boy walks pass and takes a brief glance inside the boy room. This time is his turn to stay silent.

"…..n…nii-san….Mi-Mikan…it's….it's her…."

The boy speaks but Mikan doesn't care about that, she stares at him coldly and closes back the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you."

"No !...Mikan…..this is a misunderstanding !"

The brown hair boy, Ito, opens the door again and looks fixedly at the girl sitting on his brother bed, he then rolls his eyes to Rito.

"Is she's the alien girl you told us last night ?"

The boy nods, Ito sits down on one knee and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen Rito, try your best to get through this."-done talking, he closes the door, leaving his brother and the pink hair girl alone.

"Heh ?"

"Rito~~, good morning."-Lala says, smiling.

Rito quickly faces the wall to avoid looking at her, he can still feel his face burns hot.

"..g-good morning, uh…no, not that ! Why are you in my room and why aren't you wear anything ?"

"Eh~? I wanted to sleep with you ?"

"And it's really difficult for me to stay as Lala-sama's costume all the time since I don't have that much energy."-Peke appears from behind Lala to provide the answer.

"But why ?"

"Why ? didn't we agree to marry each other ?"

The boy freezes when he hears that.

….heh ?...

"Wait, when did I agree to that ?"-he turns to her.

"Isn't it normal for people on Earth who are engaged to live under the same roof ?"

Lala smiles brightly, but the teenage boy feels strange as she seems to ignore his question.

Something is not right, that smile, that expression of her are totally different from what her eyes is reflecting.

"Is there's something in my eyes ?"-Lala asks as the boy keeps staring at her.

"…..are you-"

Realizing that he's looking directly at the girl, Rito blushes again. He walks fast to the wardrobe and get a shirt for her.

"Here, wear this then we'll talk."-he closes his eyes while turning away.

Eyeing the boy expression, both Lala and Peke aren't say a word until the alien smiles.

"Thank you, Rito really is kind, but I don't need that."-she stands up."Peke."

"Yes."

The small robot shines, just in a blink of an eye Lala had put on the alien clothe with white color and purple pattern.

"…so convenient."

"Hehe~."-Lala smiles at the compliment of the orange hair boy.

"Rito, hurry up and eat breakfast or you're going to be late for school."-Mikan's voice echo from downstairs.

"Ok, I'll be quick !"-the boy responds and puts back his shirt to the wardrobe, turning to the girl."Lala, you just stay here in the mean time, I have to go to school."

Rito hastily grabs the school bag, the uniform and a bandage inside his desk. The boy then leaves his room. As he closes the door, Lala stays in there thinking about the word that he just said.

"School ?"

…

"Hey, Rito….hey, are you listening, Rito ?"

"Huh ?...uh…yeah…what is it, Saruyama ?"

"Are you day dreaming ? I've been called you a few times."-Saruyama points a finger over his shoulder toward the door."Want to go get a drink with me ?"

Rito nods and turns to his brother who is sitting next to him.

"Nii-san, you want to come along with us?"

"Nah, stay here and read novel is enough for me."-the brown hair student replies as he is reading a novel in hand.

"Then do you want to have something to drink ?"

"…hm….buy a soft drink with chocolate favor for me then."-the brown hair boy takes out his wallet and gives a few coins to Rito.

The orange hair boy and Saruyama begin to head down to the vending machine near the school cafeteria. Currently, the students are having a break time, most of them are chatting in classroom and outside the corridor, only a few walk around the schoolyard and a few form a group to play some games. Such a peaceful time in Sainan highschool.

As both students reach the vending machine, they begin to insert coins and choose a drink that they like. Right now, there is no one in this area except for these two, unlike other places in this school, this area is always deserted whether in break time or not. Sometime, a few peoples would show up but to buy the drink only, and eventually they leave.

The reason for this is simple.

As this place is near to an old school building area, no one would want to come here often. But there are still a few exceptions including Rito and Saruyama.

After taking his favorite drink from the machine, Saruyama catches his friend is looking up the passing clouds on the sky, his eyes are so distant like he is lost in thought.

"Rito, why are you keep looking up there ? Are you thinking about Haruna-chan ?"

"No, it's not…..why are you bring up Sairenji ?"

"Oh, you not thinking about her ? You eyes look so distant."-Saruyama hands two cans to the boy and opens his own.

"…really…"

Both head back to class. On their way, Rito still haven't sipped a single drop from his drink, he keeps staring at the sky with those eyes of his, it's like he is looking at something that further than the sky itself, Saruyama realizes that something is weird with his friend. Ever since the break time started till now, he just looks out the window, eyeing toward the sky almost ignore everything around him.

This is not a rare sight, the truth is Rito usually contemplates the sky in each break time, only when he goes somewhere or someone starts a conversation with him then he stops. But something is different today, he doesn't pay any attention surround him, his match hair color eyes is somewhat distant like he is thinking a lot about something else.

Saruyama had asked Ito about this, but the brown hair boy just shook his head and told him it's better to ask Rito directly.

"..ne Rito, are you having a problem with something ? Can you share it with me ?"

"Huh ?...ah…"-the orange hair boy turns to Saruyama, nodding and sips a small amount of his orange juice at last."Saruyama, if one day you meet a girl who suddenly appears in your house and she says she want to marry you, what will you do ?"

Clack !

"…?"

Hearing a sound of an object hit the floor, the teenage boy looks down at his feet, Saruyama soft drink is rolling on the floor, scattering around the remain drop inside it. He looks back to his friend who is freezing, his mouth is wide open to the point his jaw almost touch the ground.

"Rito, what do you mean ?"-Saruyama points his shaken finger to the boy face."A-a-a….g-g-girl…confess to you ?"

"Heh ?...uh…uh..well….."

"…d..don't tell me…you already have a girlfriend."

"Huh ? No ! I just want to ask that, hahaha."-Rito turns his back to Saruyama, smiling nervously as Saruyama still stares at him with suspicion."So….what will you do if you in that situation ?"

"Do you even have to ask !"-Saruyama raises his fist up high, excitement filled in his voice."Of course I'll accept her completely ! It's once in a lifetime chance, a beautiful girl has expressed her love to me and as a man I will marry her right then, right immediately and "move to the next phrase" !"

Rito sweat drops at the answer, thinking if they keep talking about this it won't lead to nowhere. He picks up the can and throws to a garbage bin nearby.

The two continue to return to class. When they are near there, a figure of the blue hair girl is seen walking toward them.

"Oh, Haruna-chan is coming."

Sairenji seems to think about something as she walks while looks down. When arriving at her class, she looks up and sees both Saruyama and the orange hair boy are looking at her, she turns away avoiding eye contact with the latter.

"Huh ? Haruna-chan just avoids you, did you do something to make her hate you ?"

"..no…I…don't know."

The girl probably avoids him since she saw that bold confession of Lala from yesterday morning. One thing he couldn't make it out is why Sairenji eyes soften at that time.

The highschool boy doesn't say a word, he walks into class.

He really…has no idea.

…..

"Ah~~! I found it."-a pink hair girl says while she's flying to the direction where the boy school is located, a bento box which wrapped in cloth is hold in her hand."So that's the "school" thing Rito talked about."

"Lala-sama, are you really going to marry that dorky Earthling ?"-Peke asks.

"That's right, why do you ask ?"

"Lala-sama, you're the first princess of Deviluke, an almighty race that rules over the galaxy. Marrying Lala-sama also means that that Earthling will be…"

"Well, don't worry about it, just let me do what I want~."

Meanwhile, on top of a tall building in Sainan town stands a man wearing a full demonic, skeleton-like armor with a cape attached to it, he has greyish hair and blue eyes observing the scenery in front of him.

"So this is the Earth ? An underdeveloped planet just as I had heard."

That man's name is Zastin, a royal family bodyguard and Deviluke's military commander. Basing on the report from his subordinates, Zastin has come to this place to bring the stubborn princess Lala back home.

"I shall ask her to return at once even if I have to force her a little."

It's seems the situation is getting more tense.

….

Rito feels worry, staring at his school bag after he went around class, checked inside his desk and seat.

"Strange, where is my lunch box ?"

Sitting on the seat, the boy tries to remember when is the last time he saw the bento box that Mikan cooked for him.

…..let see…what kind of things I had done this morning…..

After the conversation with Lala, he went to dress the school uniform and had breakfast. At that time, two bento boxes were still in the kitchen. His brother, Ito, finished before him so he took a box with him and went to school first, which meant only one box remained. Mikan also finished her breakfast, she left Rito lunch box in front of him and went off to school.

…that time….

Right that moment, Rito finished his breakfast in hurried and put his school bag on the table, cleaned the dishes and headed to school.

…..my bag…

He put the bag on the lunch box and forgot it.

Which means…

…..I left my lunch box at home….

Rito lays his head on the desk as anime tear rolls down his cheek.

Lunch break is already started for a long time but the trouble finding the bento box of the boy has taken nearly half an hour. Since it's this late, the cafeteria won't have any remains food for him to buy.

He can only go on without food till classes end.

"What's wrong, forgot to bring your bento ?"-Ito asks while looking at his younger brother.

"…yes…"

"…"-Ito puts down the chopstick he holds in hand and places his unfinished lunch box on Rito desk."Here, eat mine."

"…but…"-the orange hair boy slowly rises up, straighten his sitting posture.

"Eat it, I'll just go get a hot drink and it's enough for me."

"Thank you, nii-san."-Rito takes a small plastic spoon that his brother hasn't used to scoop up some meat left.

However, before he could eat a loud bang echo through the classroom.

 **Bang !**

Saruyama shoves the door so hard that the sound could be heard in the entire corridor, his face could only be described as shock.

"Oi ! Rito ! A really cute and pretty girl is looking for you ! What's going on ?!"

Both brothers look at each other with wide eyes.

….

"Woah ! Look, that girl…"

"What kind of costume is that ?"

"Cosplay ?"

"Forget the clothe, isn't she really pretty !"

"Rito~, where are you ?"-Lala naturally walks along the hallway, she keeps calling the name of an orange hair boy.

"So cute~~."

"So beautiful~~."

All the male students watch the pink hair girl with heart shape visible in their eyes. As each person Lala walks pass, each of them fell in love with her at first sight. Peke notices that, thinking.

….fufufu..those Earthlings, Lala-sama's beauty is definitely too much for them to handler.

This is the truth and it's obvious. Due to inherit the blood and beauty from the Queen Deviluke who known as the most beautiful person in the universe, no one can deny Lala's gorgeousness as her appearance is so charming.

Her beauty attracts many students in the school, a large number of male students follow her. But it's seems that they are also jealous with the person named "Rito" that she is calling for a short while.

"Rito~."

"Lala ?"-the orange hair boy stands at a stairway near there, surprised at the alien girl arrival.

"Oh~, Rito, I found you !"-she says while smiling.

"Lala."-he runs to Lala with Ito and Saruyama."What's happen, why are you here ?"

"Here, I brought this for you."-she shows him the bento box.

"Ah ! My bento box."-the boy takes it, happy."Thank you, Lala."

"Hey, Rito ! W-who is she ? You know her ?"-Saruyama asks rapidly, slightly frowning at the fact that Rito knows the girl."What is your relationship with her ?"

"She is-"

"Me ? I'm Rito's bride."-Lala interrupts the boy's word and hugs his arm.

Upon hearing that, the boy's face turns all white.

"WWWWHHHHAAAAATTTT ?!"-every boy in the hallway scream in unison.

Ito facepalms while shaking his head.

….poor my younger brother…

"No ! It's not like that !"-Rito panics, waving his hand from side to side and turns to Lala."Why did you say that ?! I never-"

The boy stops as he hears a lot of growl from all the boys surround him.

"Rito, you…you have Haruna-chan and still….."

"What are you saying Saruyama ? I don't have any feeling for Sairenji ! And please listen to me, this is not true, I never-"

"Eh~~? What do you mean it's not true ? Last night….didn't we…"-Lala puts her hands on her pink cheek, embarrassing.

The entire corridor shrouded in silence.

[Heartbeat sound]

"Rito…you…"

All the boy grit their teeth, gaping at the orange hair boy with eyes filled by jealous and anger like they are going to assault him.

"You know, in all seriousness, we know we don't have any right to say anything about it, but…"-an angry male student speaks.

[Heartbeat sound]

"But this is really aggravating."

"Let me hit you, Yuuki, I promise it won't hurt."

[Heartbeat sound]

Ito looks between Rito and the crowd, if things get worse he will jump in to defend Rito and the pink hair girl…he really could to do that if the alien girl hadn't said the last sentence. He has no clue for what she said but since all the students here is even angrier than before, he doubts they would forgive Rito and him if he jumps in.

Ito takes a glance at Rito, the boy is still somewhat panic, legs are shaking, expression is slightly paled. But something is different with his eyes, other than nervous, something strange is mixed into it, some kind of emotion that reflected in Rito eyes, an emotion that opposite to fear.

That boy is about to do something to get away from this situation.

"Everyone, let me explain."-he slowly backs away.

The crowd approaches the teenage boy with killing intents, some crackle hands and emit a dark aura flying everywhere.

Rito grabs the girl's hand and runs.

"Catch him !"

"Rito, you bastard ! I won't forgive you ! How dare you have such a beautiful girl before me !"-Saruyama yells out loud, almost wants to cry.

"Hey, don't chase him !"-Ito says loudly but none of the male student cares about that, right now they just want to catch the poor boy at all cost.

"Why are they angry ?"-Lala says nonchalantly, putting a finger on her lip while looking back at those chasing them in wonder. (She didn't know that only Rito is being chased)

The boy keeps running and doesn't respond. Lala can't see the expression of the orange hair boy at the time but she can feel the warmth coming from the boy's hand, his grip is not too tight or too loose. It's the same grip from when he helped her to escape from those men in black suit.

But this time, there's something about him that she feels different…..

[Heartbeat sound]

…..

"Haruna, you haven't changed yet ?"-a short brown hair girl asks her classmate.

"Hurry up or you'll miss your lunchtime."

"Ah, sorry, you can go on ahead."-Sairenji replies.

After changing to school uniform, the blue hair girl walks out the girl changing room. She stands in front of a window and looks directly into her own image which reflecting through it, her eyes soften as she thinks back to the confession yesterday.

" _I think I've liked you, so let's get marry~."_

That word and the blushing face of a certain boy keep appear in her thought. Throughout the morning, she has avoided him, she doesn't know how to talk to him, to face him when she had witnessed that confession yesterday.

And about that pink hair girl…..

….Yuuki-kun….who is she ?

"Hold it right there !"

"Come back here so we can kick your ass, Yuuki !"

Sairenji looks up the ceiling as there are so many loud noises and yelling come from the upper floor.

"What's happening ?"

….

As soon as the boy has run far away from those male students, he makes a quick turn at a T-junction corridor and continues to run. Unfortunately, Rito has picked the wrong way.

''What….a dead end ?''-he tries to open all the door near him but it's no use, all of them has been locked carefully.

Those students are coming and he doesn't have much time to run back, but he couldn't hide here either. He will be found no matter what he does.

''Lala, can you do something ? Like using your invention.''

''Huh ? Do something ?''

''Is there're any device that can help us escape from this dead end ?''-While Lala puts a finger on her chin, thinking, the orange hair has an idea as he remembers.''That's it ! Use that bracelet named ''Pyon-Pyon-Wrap'' something to teleport us !''

''Ah~, you mean Pyon-Pyon-Wrap-kun ?''

''Yes, that one.''

''Ok, but…''-Lala looks at the highschool boy like she is expecting an answer that she wants to hear.''Since I'm marrying you, can i start living in your house today ?''

[Heartbeat sound]

''Live in my house ? Which room ?''-Rito pales, although he already knew the answer, he still wants to hear to make sure.

''Yours, of course.''

''No ! Not good, you can't do that ! I'm a boy, and since when did i agree to marry you !''

''Eh~ ! Then i won't use that bracelet.''

[Heartbeat sound]

The crowd footsteps are getting closer and closer.

''…''-the orange hair boy is speechless, he glances at his right hand which covered in bandage briefly.

[Heartbeat sound]

The sound of the footstep is closer than before.

''If i agree to marry you, you will use that bracelet ?''

''That's right.''-Lala nods.

''Aha, there you are, Rito !''-they have found the two of them and some of the students sprint to the orange hair boy with full speed, the distance is shorten as each second pass.

Rito closes his eyes, sighing.

He couldn't understand why Lala has to force him to this extent, the two know almost nothing about each other.

Basically, Lala came to this planet to avoid all the future husband meetings, then why…

Why did she want to marry him ?...

The boy recollects all of the things that the alien has told him and connects them.

…run away from home - marry - want to live at my house = Could it be…

[Heartbeat sound]

''So be it….''-Rito speaks in a deep tone.

Hearing the wanted answer, Lala takes out the pink phone and press several buttons. The bracelet appears in a bright light emited from the device screen. She wears it to her wrist and grabs the boy hand.

But there is one thing that she doesn't expect, the orange hair boy retracts his hand immediately, he moves to the window next to him and opens it then places one step on the hinge.

Saruyama is running toward him together with the male students in attempt to release all the jealousy on the boy. He suddenly startles when he sees the weird act of his friend.

''Rito, this is the second floor, what are you doing ?!''

''Rito…''-Lala looks at the orange hair boy in surprise, she couldn't understand why he retracts his hand.

The boy faces forward, looking out the window, no one knows what he's trying to do. And as they keeps thinking about it, he places the other step on the hinge.

''Lala…i'm sorry, about the marriage…''-the bracelet starts to shine brightly.''…i really… don't want to be forced like that.''

He jumps down…

''Ritooooo !''-Saruyama screams the boy's name, dashing through all the other boys.

Before Lala could even react at the boy's act, the light emited from her bracelet blinds everyone in the hallway.

Lala has been teleported to another location.

….

''At last, i have found this place.''-Zastin smiles confidently as he stands in front of a building.

He's standing in front of a police station lied somewhere in Sainan town. Two policemen approach him as they see the man suspicious.

''Excuse me, what are you doing in this area ?''

''Ah…i got lost.''

….

Saruyama rubs his temporarily blinded eyes and makes his way to the window where his friend just jumped down to find him. It's also seems that the attempt to ''tear that boy apart'' is no longer in his mind, but instead replaced by the feeling of nervous and worry.

''Rito ! Rito ! Where are you ?!''-Saruyama looks around the schoolyard, the orange hair boy is nowhere to be seen.

''Hey, where is him ?!''

''Did he just jump down here ?!''

The male students who chased Rito all have the same anxious look on their face when they saw him did a reckless act. Like Saruyama, they're no longer pay attention to that ''beautiful cosplay girl'' as they feel worry about the boy.

Suddenly, a rustling sound come from on top the tree near Saruyama.

The orange hair boy glides down from it branches and lands on the surface, completely uninjured.

Saruyama and other boys on the second floor stare at him in dumbfound.

"Yu-Yuuki-kun…"

Rito follows the voice coming from the other side of a window in front of him, the blue hair girl is looking at him, her eyes filled with worry. The moment she sees him jumps out from the floor above her, something in her chest tighten as she couldn't breathe in that split second.

Why did he do something so dangerous ?

"Yuuki-kun, are you…ok-"

"Rito ! Don't scare us like that !"-Saruyama cries, he doesn't know Sairenji is at the floor below him.

"Pulling a stunt like that, are you try to get us a heart attack ?!"

"S-sorry…..i have no choice, and besides none of you willing to hear me out."-Rito scratches his head, feeling regret for making everyone worry.

"Alright, if you saying like that then we won't get mad….but…."-a male student in the same class with Rito says.

"Huh ?"-a question mark appears on the boy's head.

"This and that are different matter."

Rito sweats as he gets a bad feeling.

"So you should just stay there and wait for us to punish you, Yuuki !"

"OOOHHHH !"-they all speak out loud in unison while running down stairs.

The orange hair boy panics, he looks around not knowing where to run.

"Yuuki-kun…"

"Sorry Sairenji, I have to go, see you later."-he runs away.

Sairenji eyes follow the boy's back, she's hesitating. Throughout the time when she avoids him, she really wants to call his name as there are so many questions she wants to ask.

But as many things happened to Rito today, maybe she will express them to him, talk to him in another day.

Saruyama sighs, after what happened he has decided not to chase the boy with others as he's still on the second floor.

"Phew, you really are unlucky Rito…..but why…"

….why did he has such a pretty bride !-Saruyama screams inside his head.

''Damn it, i'm so jealous of you, Rito !''

While Saruyama still rolling around cursing his friend in a comical way, outside the window near him is the small robotic named Peke.

Since that teleport bracelet could only transport the living matter Peke has turned back to his real form and hided there.

He flies away from the school, moving toward the boy house, he's still surprised at that reckless act of the orange hair boy.

And there's another strange thing.

As Peke already stated, no one could resist the beauty of his master, but that Earthling boy is different.

He doesn't seem to be attracted by Lala's appearance.

….why is that ?

…

Meanwhile…..

"No, I'm serious, I actually came from planet Deviluke."

"Ok, ok, we'll listen to your story at the police station."

The Deviluke's military commander is still in trouble with the policemen.

Finding the stubborn princess is really a difficult task.

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of chapter 2, there's a lot of emotion in here.**

 **Lala's innocence and stubborness in the first manga is really tough to deal with, but then again that's what i like about her. Using this feature to get a deep look in the orange hair boy thought is sure effective. I got more reason and idea to drive out a little bit of Rito emotion.**

 **And I hope i didn't go too far, just what kind of emotion could make Rito done such a reckless act ?...well, that is only a small part of his personality in this fic.**

 **the chase scene might contain some drama elements but pay no mind to that, we got to see some Saruyama moments here. He's really care about his orange hair friend but i hope i didn't make too much difference between him and his characteristic from the manga.**

 **And...that's everything, i will see you guys in the next chapter. Thank you and have a good day.**


	3. Chapter 3:

**And here is chapter 3, this one took me a long time. I also recommend two songs in this chapter and since i can't put in the link lead to it, I hope you guys don't mind search it on youtube, sorry for the inconvenient.  
**

 **Anyway, please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

After school has ended, the orange hair boy hurriedly returns to his home.

Ever since Lala had been teleported to another place, he had to hide away from the boys hunt and went around the school to find the location where the pink hair girl had been transported to at the same time.

Throughout the hiding, some started to give up as they couldn't catch the boy. But not until lunch time was ended that the whole group decided to spare him.

He was safe….but his stomach also had nothing to digest.

The bento box was nowhere to be found, and by the time Rito had found it lying outside the schoolyard, the food in it were no longer could be described as "food" as everything inside it were trampled on when those boys who chased him.

Currently, the orange hair boy is running back to his home to see if the girl has returned to his residence as he couldn't find her anywhere in Sainan highschool.

"Lala."-he calls her name as he steps into the corridor.

Hearing the sound of an opened TV in the living room, he looks in. Lala is there, playing game with his sister Mikan. Realizing the boy is back, the pink hair girl shows him the controller she holding in hand.

"Ah~, look Rito~~, Earth's video game sure is really fun to play."-she smiles brightly.

"Rito, welcome back, Ito doesn't come home with you ?"-Mikan asks.

"He's on his way back, it's just that I went ahead of him."

"Ah~, I'm lost again."-Lala facepalms cutely, her voice is somewhat childish.

"Fufu, Lala-san still doesn't have enough experience to win."-Mikan chuckles, putting down the controller.

Watching both girls are having fun, the boy takes a glance of his little sister, her expression is so happy and relax.

He doesn't know when the two of them have become so close but that doesn't matter anymore.

Seeing his sister smiles like that making him feels at ease.

"Rito, I heard Lala-san has confessed to you, no ?"-Mikan asks the boy while her eyes still looks at the TV.

"Huh ?!W-why are you mention this ?!"-his face turns red.

"It's fine, isn't it ? I'm just asking you and you is already blushing."

"..uh…ahaha…"-Rito smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

In the middle of the conversation between the three of them, Ito walks in, not surprised much when seeing the alien girl.

"Good evening."-he bows slightly.

"Good evening~~, I'm Lala, and you are Rito's big brother ?"-Lala raises her up high, excitement filled in her voice.

"Oh, so your name is Lala, I'm…"

Both start to introduce each other. While waiting, Mikan pulls the orange hair boy's sleeve to get his attention.

"Rito, come here with me for a sec."

"…uh…ok."-he puts the bag on the sofa and follows his sister.

The sibling move to the kitchen which is right next the living room, Rito couldn't figure out why Mikan tells him to follow her to another room, maybe she has something she wants to say to him in private ?

"Rito, have you decided what to do next ?"-Mikan turns back asking him, she has a serious look in her eyes.

The teenage boy tilts his head slightly, not quite understand the meaning of that question.

"Decided what to do next ?"-he rolls his eyes to the alien girl."…you mean Lala ?"

"Yes, Lala-san told me that she will marry you."

The boy remains quiet at the answer, he takes another glance at the pink hair girl.

Through the first met, the boy knew Lala came to this planet only to avoid meeting all of the future husband candidates. If it's the only reason, then why…..

Why does Lala want to marry him when that is the same exact reason that make her runs away from home ?

Why is the one she wants to marry is him ?

And why…..

Why did she have to force him like that ?

Rito couldn't understand what's in the alien girl's mind. If things keep this way, a lot of trouble will definitely come to him and the girl.

To solve this problem, what will he do ?

"So what will you do ?"

"I…I will give her an answer."

Mikan widen her eyes slightly then she smiles, a warmth smile.

"You really have changed Rito."-Mikan moves next to a cupboard and takes an apron out from it, preparing to make dinner.

"Huh ? What do you mean ?"

"Back then you always hesitate when it came to things similar like this, but you become more decisive now."-she opens the fridge, getting some cooking ingredients."Seeing my idiotic onii-chan has improved like that, I feel less worry now."

"…ahahaha~, I see…"-the boy quickly helps his little sister by taking some dishes and putting it on the table.

"But…..that timid, shy habit when being near girls of yours is still haven't lessen at the slightest, huh."-Mikan looks at him in amused, chuckles.

"..uh…well…this….it's a kind of mental…..y-you can't blame it."- the orange hair boy sweat drops, looking away.

Placing all the food on the kitchen, Mikan comes to the boy and takes all the dishes and plates in his hand.

"Alright, let me handle from here, you just go talk to Lala-san."

Rito nods and heads back to the living room. As he walks in, he notices his brother, Ito, and the beautiful alien girl are competing with each other in a traditional fighting game. Their capability is hardly equal as Lala never win a single battle against the brown hair boy.

"Uhuu~, why is this game so difficult to play ?"-she pouts.

"You not familiar with all the basic combos yet, keep practicing and you will get it in no time."

Ito looks back as he realizes his younger brother is standing behind him, Rito looks at him and rolls his eyes to the pink hair girl implicates that he wants to have a talk with the alien girl. Knowing the meaning behind the movement of the boy's orange eyes, Ito stands up giving the controller to Rito for replacement and quietly brings his bag to upstairs.

"Ah~~, Rito, how do you play the conbo-something ?"-Lala asks right away when the orange hair boy just sat down.

"It's combo, the way to use it is simple."

He raises the controller equal to Lala's vision so she could follow his instruction easier. He shows her the detail of combining all the buttons and does an example.

The girl concentrates on hearing the boy's explanation, still smiling.

In the bottom of his heart, Rito thinks Lala is really pretty, no wonders why many would want to marry her.

He doesn't know a lot about her condition. Basing on what those men in black suit had said, Lala could have been a noble ojou-sama or even a princess of planet Deviluke before she came here, a place far away from her home.

Because of her father's wish, she was force to marry one of the many future husband candidates who will succeed him. That act has taken away her freedom.

Rito looks down, eyes gazes at his right hand covered in bandage.

Surely there are still so many things she wants to do, and marry him is the only solution to that problem. If Deviluke's rules are not counted then after marrying the boy, she could stays here and doesn't have to go back.

But in reality…..

That way of solving will take away the boy's freedom. Just like Lala, there are still many things that the orange hair boy wants to do, many…..many things.

And more importantly, it is alright to do that when both of them don't have any feeling for each other ?

"Lala….."

"Hm ?"

This matter cannot be let unsolved for too long.

That is why…tonight….

"After dinner, can you go outside with me ? I have something I want to talk about."

He will end this matter, once and for all…

….…

"Why are we have to go all the way here, Rito ? Let's go back and play some more games."

Lala's emerald green eyes follow the orange hair boy as they walk to a grass field next to the river, which it's a familiar place of the boy.

The sky has gone dark, all the street lights start to light up the small town with it blear light in turn. While watching the river filled with shining stars, Rito tilts his head to Lala as he gently pats the spot next to him implies that he wants her to sit down.

"Lala, there's something I want to talk to you."

"What is it ?"-she sits next to him.

"….your proposal…"

* * *

 **-Music 01: Heart wavers composed by Shoji Meguro**

* * *

His word surprises the pink hair girl, a tinge of red visible on her cheek as she looks at him.

The atmosphere becomes silent, no more words are exchanged between them since there are so many things that come to their mind. Rito looks up at the Milky Way which spreading it light across the heaven while Lala still keeps silent, her emerald green eyes sparkling with lights coming from the illuminant stars dancing on top the river surface.

"I'm happy."-she smiles.

"…?"

"Before I came here, I've always been forced to go to marriage meeting and see whose face I don't even know of, it's pretty rough being royalty."-the alien girl speaks with a slightly deep tone, her eyes are filled with sadness.

For the sake of the royal family.

For the sake of planet Deviluke.

People around Lala keep telling her that this is what she must do because her father says so, and it's also because….

That's is her duty as the first princess of Deviluke.

No one willing to listen to her.

No one willing to understand her feelings.

"That's not true Lala-sama, you still has me."-Peke says.

"Oh, that's right, everyone aside from you, Peke."-Lala looks up at the big hat on top her head.

"Yes !"

That's is the reason why she has to run away from her planet, trying to find a ray of hope in desperate to escape from what her fate has decided.

And while in pursued she has found her way to the Earth and met an orange hair boy, a normal Earthling.

….

''I can't believe being a princess is really that hard.''

"Yeah, it's true that everyone has a problem of their own."

Hiding in an alley near there, Mikan and Ito are watching the development of the conversation between the boy and that alien girl.

Eversince Mikan saw her brother went outside with Lala, the sibling has followed them due to curiosity as they want to know how the boy would handle Lala's problem. Mikan is curious and worries at the same time since she know Rito's nature too well, she worries that his timid habit will make him ruins the mood.

But after seeing the calm expression of the boy, Mikan feels less uneasy and rethink about her's doubt.

Ito is not interested in this much, but since being dragged along with his little sister Mikan, he has no choice but to follow the two of them with her. After hearing Lala's story, he starts to worry for his younger brother.

Knowing those "events" are still deeply implanted in Rito's soul, Ito actually curious wanting to know how the orange hair boy will react at the princess predicament.

"Ito, do you think Rito will agree to marry Lala-san ?"-Mikan asks him.

"That is up to him."-he rubs her head."We'll just have to watch and see."

But no matter what word or what line will be said…

"Why are you look so calm ?"

"No, I do worry a little…"

Rito's answer, the brown hair boy is already known…..

"And I just knew ahead what Rito is going to do."

…

After listening to the pink hair girl's history, Rito closes his eyes carefully thinking about what he is going to say.

If he refuses, Lala will be taken back home and has to follow her father's wish. That will hurt her feeling.

If he agrees, this life of his will definitely disappear forever. He will once again fall down into the deep of the abyss, a mass of troubles will drown him without mercy.

Not to mention…those "events" are still haunting the orange hair boy.

Should he sacrifices his current life to bring happiness to the princess ?

Or he will keep this life and leave Lala for her own fate to decide for her ?

Two fates…..

Two destinies and one decision…

Choosing either one of it, one of them will have to face with the pain that they try so hard to endure.

There's no escape for both of them.

Rito lets out a deep sigh, messaging his right hand which covered in bandage.

Even so, the boy's answer…will never change.

"Lala…I-"

"But everything is ok now, you agreed to marry me so I'm really happy~."-Lala says while smiling in overjoyed.

…..huh ?

"I don't have to go back anymore, from now on please take care of me, ok~."

"Wait, w-when did I agree ?!"-he stands up quickly and nervously looks at Lala.

"…then….does that mean…..you don't like me ?"-Lala looks at him with glistening eyes, it seems like she is on the verge of tears.

"…no…"-Rito responds almost instantly, he doesn't even take one second to think about it.

It's more than just a respond from him, it's a respond that his instinct gives out.

But the pink hair girl's carefree attitude doesn't seem to be swayed by this.

"Then it's ok, I can live with that."

The teenage boy pales at the girl's countenance that just turned 180 degrees, smiling brightly like nothing happens.

"No ! It's not ok !"

The two sibling hiding near there are also sweat drops at the girl's nonchalant behavior.

"La…Lala-san.."

"This girl is…..childish and so carefree to the point it makes her scary."

Not only the Yuuki brothers, Peke finds his master attitude is somewhat strange and he feels like Lala is trying to ignore everything the boy says.

"Lala-sama, I think I know what you're trying to do."-Peke speaks as he realizes the reason why Lala did that.

"Peke, what are you saying ?!"-Lala turns around not letting the boy sees her suspicious and muttering quietly to Peke.

The orange hair boy nearly freezes on the spot, he hears the word that Peke spoke very clear.

…..heh ? Does that means every time she ignores my question are all because of her's intention…

Noticing the boy is watching her with suspicious, Lala quickly turns to him, still smiling as if she's pretending.

"Well, anyway please be good to me, Rito~. Let's go home and play some more games."

"Hey, what are you planning-"

"Lala-sama !"

Both move their eyes toward the source of the shout that cut in the boy's word. It is a tall man with greyish hair, his expression could be described as completely exhausted with tremble feet that had some teeth marks on it, there's even a scorpion like tail moving behind him. He is wearing a devil, skeleton-like full body armor with a cape attached to it, it's no other than the Deviluke's military commander.

"Ah ! Zastin !"-Lala calls his name in surprised.

"…?"-Rito glances briefly at Lala.

"Fufu…after went through a lot of trouble I finally can get here. I got arrested, chased down by a dog, drown in a sewer, got lost."-Zastin sighs."This is why I dislike underdeveloped worlds…but that is enough."

Back to a serious manner, the commander says aloud.

"Lala-sama, please come back to planet Deviluke with me !"

"Ble~~, I won't go back ! I have a reason to stay here !"-Lala sticks out her tongue.

"Reason ? And that is ?!"

"I…"-the alien girl points a finger toward the orange hair boy."…I fell in love this guy !"

Zastin glares at the boy upon hearing the princess's word, putting a hand underneath his chin.

"So I'll marry Rito and live on this planet with him !"

…so that's why…

Lala wants to marry the boy not because of romance, but because she will have a reason not to come back to Deviluke and don't have to do all that husband meeting stuff.

Exactly like the boy thought, this alien girl has forced him to agree to marry her and used him as an excuse for this situation.

But with that much reason it's not enough to persuade anyone…except for idiot.

"I see, so that's how it is."-Zastin nods.

And unfortunately for Rito, Zastin is that kind of guy.

Seeing the dump look of the royal bodyguard, the orange hair boy can only sigh and his face is paling slightly.

"I'm also surprised about this when I heard my subordinates reported that an Earthling has rescued Lala-sama from them."

"That's right ! Now that you know the reason, go back and tell Papa that I won't come back nor will I meet those future husband candidates !"

The wind flows as the atmosphere becomes silent after the girl's declaration. Zastin observes carefully the human boy who stands next to the princess of Deviluke. His eyes suddenly turns sharp.

"No ! It's not that simple."-Zastin steps forward."I, Zastin, has received an order from the king of Deviluke to bring you back at all cost. If I approving the marriage of Lala-sama and a suspicious Earthling then I won't be able to face the king anymore."

"Then what can we do ?"-Lala asks.

The asked royal bodyguard remains silent at the girl's question, he then gives the orange hair boy a sharp glare.

Rito is still standing there, looking between two alien. However, the boy has a bad feeling under Zastin's gaze. As the quiet atmosphere only makes the situation becomes more tensed, he decides to speak up.

"Um…I-"

"Lala-sama, please stay back."

"Huh ?"-Lala widen her eyes slightly at Zastin words.

Before the girl could even react.

Before the boy could even finish his line.

Zastin makes a rush at him.

Within a blink of an eye, a green light shots out, the grass field where Rito's standing has been split apart with a deep crack, smoke and dirt fly up everywhere.

…..…

"Rito !"

Mikan screams the boy's name and runs to his place but is stopped by Ito.

"Hold up ! Mikan, what are you doing ?!"-he pulls her back to the alley.

"Rito ! He was…!"

"Calm down, he's fine."

"Eh ?"

Mikan looks back at the spot where the boy stood, the dust slowly fade revealing a big crack that sliced a small spot of the grass field into two.

The teenage boy is standing next to the crack with both hand covering his eyes to prevent all the dirt and smoke from flowing into it, not a single scratched on his body. He lowers his hands as he looks down at the crack with an unreadable expression.

Zastin points that "green light" at the boy direction, it's a big sword with green color. With a brief glance at it, anyone could tell how sharp the sword is.

"Fight me Earthling ! Let me see if you are suitable for Lala-sama or not !"-Zastin says as killing intent raises within him.

"No ! Wait !"

"Now, are you ready ?! Show me your true skills."

"Rito is in big trouble."-Mikan turns to the brown hair boy behind her."Ito, you not going to help him ?"

"Don't worry Mikan, in a time like this…"-he smiles and gives Mikan a thump up."…he usually runs away immediately."

Mikan stares at him with half of her eyes open until he continues.

"When I said he usually run away "in a time like this", it means…"-the boy grabs Mikan's hand and pulls her close to him."…he will run to a more deserted place so no one will be involved."

"Eh ?"

Crackle !

The street lamp behind her broke and split into two, the wall next to them also has several cracking sound.

Mikan is astonished. If her brother didn't pull her back, she would have been injured.

…wait, then that means Rito know we both are hiding here ?!

A lot of breaking sound keep echoing in the air, Mikan and Ito looks back to the grass field to check the situation of the orange hair boy. And just like her brother said, that orange hair boy is no longer in this area, others two aliens are also nowhere to be seen.

Lying in front of the girl very eyes are many deep cuts that appeared on the surface, the wall and a garbage can was ripped into pieces lying not too far ahead.

…..…..

Rito makes a fast turn to a large empty alley with Zastin is chasing behind and swinging his green sword many times.

Everything on the man way all turn to pieces no matter how big or small those are, nothing can remain in its original shape as the man runs pass it. That sword is sharper than anyone could imagine.

With the dangerous weapon combines with the skills of the number one swordsman of Deviluke, Zastin would no doubt defeats the boy in a few seconds. But that's difficult to happen as the Earthling boy just keeps running away from him.

Oddly enough, the distance between them not only isn't get any shorten but also extends longer.

"What's the matter Earthling ?! Are you going to just keep running ?!"

The boy stops at a train station barrier, there's no other escape path for him. Turning back to face Zastin, he yells aloud.

"Stop !"

"Stop ? I'll never approve you if all you can do is running !"

Right at the corner of his eyes, a car is launching to Zastin which making him surprised.

…this is…trap ?!

"Hmph !"-he jumps up high to avoid the "trap" that he believes was set up by the orange hair boy."I see, pretending to run around to lure me into a trap huh, good job Earthling."

Landing on the ground, Zastin once again points the green sword toward Rito with threatening eyes.

"But the real battle starts now, hurry and show me what you got !"

"Hey, is dangerous over there, move away !"

"Dangerous ? Don't get carried away, using the same trick won't fool me twice."-The commander readies himself to rush at the boy."Here I com-"

 **Bang !**

A bullet train hit the royal bodyguard right on it track, throwing Zastin through the barrier to the other side of the station, his whole face and body are bleeding.

The boy expression turns white as he watches the scene, he slowly moves close to Zastin.

"…um…a-are you ok ?"

Zastin gets up, his tremble hand grabs the sword hilt and suddenly roars.

"UUUOOOOOHHHH !"

As he is about to goes crazy, Zastin slashes the boy rapidly but luckily the boy dodges them in time and he keeps running.

"Don't think you can beat me so easily Earthling, stop right there !"

"Please calm down !"

"Arghh !"

The moment Zastin raises his sword ready to strike the boy, the princess lands next to him and hooks his feet by placing one foot on the way the Deviluke's commander runs to. Thus the result is Zastin's face hits the ground hard.

"Lala-sama, what are you doing ?!"

"This is not fair, there's no way Rito can defeat the number one swordsman of Deviluke."

Knowing Lala has stopped the greyish hair man, the highschool boy stops on his track and sighs in relief.

"But Lala-sama, if you marry that weakling, Deviluke will surely be ebbed !"

Lala is the princess of planet Deviluke, the heir of the royal family, marrying her could also means that the boy will have all the possession, all the power and countless planets that are right under the king Deviluke's care.

A person who comes from an underdeveloped and isolated planet in the galaxy like the orange hair boy will never be able to do that…are everything in Zastin thought.

"He will never be able to do all of that ! That's why the king gathered possible candidates from all over the galaxy to meet you Lala-sama !"

"And that's exactly what I don't like ! I'm sure Papa cares more about the succession than me !"

"..h-hey…you two…"-Rito stands next to them, he wants to speak but the controversy starts to become more and more intense.

"No ! That's not true ! The king actually cares about you !"

"If that's so then I don't have to run all the way here !"

"…hey…stop arguing…"

"If Papa truly cares about me then why does he has to forced me to marry one of them !"

"The king just doing that for you sake ! So please com-"

"Both of you please stop arguing !"-the boy says out loud.

The aliens stop and stare at the boy who is looking down.

"For once…please, listen to me."

….

''Ah, found him.''

By following the paths that have some scratched and stuff cut into pieces, Mikan and the brown hair boy have found the place where the orange hair boy and the aliens are.

Seeing the boy is looking down at his feet with an unreadable expression on his face. Mikan asks in wonder.

"Huh ? What is he doing ?"

"…"- Rito remains silent and observes them.

"Could it be that Rito has agreed to marry Lala-san ?"

"Why do you think like that ?"

"Well, isn't Lala-san is really beautiful, she's even a princess of a whole planet. Rito would surely falls for her, no doubt about it."

Ito chuckles, patting her head gently.

"Mikan, keep that thought and you'll be surprised."

"Heh ? What do you mean ?"

"Listen to him and you'll see."

….

Rito raises his head looking directly at Lala, a determined look.

"Lala, I understand your feeling but this is wrong, there's no meaning if you marry to other person while you have no feeling for each other."

The pink hair girl widen her eyes, the boy continues with Zastin.

"And forcing a person to marry is no different from stealing their own life and freedom. Doing that only brings more pains to them, please think about it."

Zastin is speechless at the words of the Earthling boy.

He has told them with everything, every emotions in his heart. If this marriage is happened, it won't lead them to nowhere.

Those frightened "events", terrified memories are still there, still haunting him. Marrying Lala and becomes the successor of Deviluke will cause those nightmares to torment his soul…

And the boy never wants that…

"…I-"

"Rito~."

The boy stops his word as Lala calls his name in a tender voice.

"I'm really happy."-Lala says, her eyes glittering like that of a maiden in love.

"…?"

"You said you didn't like me but you said you understand my feeling."-she places both hands on her chest, blushing."Like Rito said, I…just want to live a life on my own. There are a lot of things that I want to do and I want to decide on my future husband on my own, too…that is what I was thinking."

Zastin puts away his sword and keeps listening in silent.

"I used our marriage as an excuse so I wouldn't have to go back."

…..as I thought.-Peke sighs.

"But now I know, I…I think I really can marry you, Rito."

[Heartbeat sound]

"I mean…I want to marry you."

[Heartbeat sound]

Standing behind the young girl who is chuckling in quiet, the brown hair boy gapes at the sight. Even though he knew the answer of his younger brother, he never thought that Rito would meet this kind of situation.

"Lala-san is finally confess."

"..uh…right, our Rito is about to have a hard time for this."

"Why hard time, being confessed by a girl like that he's supposes to feel happy."-Mikan looks back at Ito.

"Look closely Mikan."-Ito points his finger at the orange hair boy."He doesn't look happy at all."

Not fully understand her brother's word, Mikan looks at the orange hair boy one more time. His expression doesn't appear abnormal, only nervous maybe that's because he is confessed by a girl (for real) for the time in his life.

But not like Mikan, Ito knows it very well, that nervous features is on a small part. Rito's hands and feet are trembling slightly, his eyes is half opened like it's about to shed tears.

Those memories of that "event" are definitely come back to his mind at this very moment.

…Rito…

"Lala, I don't-"-he tries to speak but got interrupted by Zastin.

"I lost, Earthling."-Zastin clenches tight his fist as manly tears rolls down on his cheek."It is my duty to follow king Deviluke's orders, thus I was oblivious as to how Lala-sama feels…no, I knew but I didn't do anything to help her."

[Heartbeat sound]

"No….wait…"

"But now you pointed that out to me, I admit my loss."-Zastin turns his back on them, a column of light heads down from the dark sky, a few meters away from them."I don't know if the countless husband candidates from places all over the universe will agree with this, but I will report to the king myself…"

[Heartbeat sound]

"…that we entrust Lala-sama to you, Earthling."-the royal family bodyguard steps into the light.

"Rito~."-Lala hugs the boy.

After observing him closely, Mikan hasn't seen anything out of ordinary from him, she lets out a light sigh,

"I think you just being exaggerated, Rito look find to me. Phew, I guess I have to cook sekihan for him tomorrow."-Mikan smiles and turns back to Ito."Ito, let's go home."

"….hold on, Mikan.."-the brown hair boy points behind her."Look."

"…?"

Mikan follows the direction that his finger points to and she is shocked at the sight before her.

Rito, her brother, gently pushes Lala away and sprints to the light with an unreal speed.

…..

As Zastin is lifted up a few inches, a hand grabs his cape and pulls him out of the light that leads him back to the spaceship, the commander turns back to look at the person in dumbfound.

"What are you doing Earthling ? It's something the matter ?"

Rito releases his grasp from the man's cape and remains silent.

"Rito~?"-Lala quickly flies to them thanks to the wings on her hat, she doesn't understand why the boy stops Zastin.

The orange hair boy steps back a few steps until both of them in his view. He bows down in a polite manner.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"This ? You mean…"-Zastin asks.

"I can't marry Lala, I'm…..sorry."

"Eh ?! Why ?!"-both Zastin and Lala says in unison.

"Like I said…"-looking at Lala."…I understand how Lala feels, but doing this is no different from forcing me to marry her."

"Rito-dono, if you don't marry Lala-sama then she will have to return to Deviluke and meets those future husband candidates again !"-Peke says as he worries about the unexpected decision of the orange hair boy.

"I know, Peke…but I…"-he glances at his right hand."…I can't marry Lala, there are still so many things that I want to do…and…there are still so many problems that I haven't settled."

…many problems ? What is Rito talking about ?

Mikan looks pass Ito who stands behind her as she is wondering about those problems that Rito said, hoping Ito would know something about it.

Noticing the look in Mikan eyes, Ito silently pats her head and continue to observe what will happen next.

"But you're the only who understand my feeling well Rito, am I…not good ?"

Rito sighs while smiling and shaking his head to deny the fact.

"Don't say that, I'm sure everyone here will understand how much Lala has endured if they hear your story."-Rito looks over his shoulder to an alley that Mikan and his brother are hiding."I'm sure that Mikan will understand, nii-san will understand and Saruyama, too."

"So you intend to reject Lala-sama's feeling, Earthling ?"-Zastin frowns.

"No, I'm really happy, but right now in this circumstance I can't marry Lala…so instead…"-the boy looks straight into the Deviluke number one swordsman's eyes and declares."…I will help Lala free from those future husband meeting and marriage."

Everyone amazed at the boy's word.

"Help Lala-sama ?!"

"Yes. If Lala's father, the king of Deviluke that you talked about wants her to marry a candidate to inherit his position…then instead of doing that, let Lala has her freedom to decide the person who is suitable for her most…and…"

Zastin puts a hand underneath his chin, thinking about what the boy just said.

"…and in the meantime, Lala can stay on this planet Earth and lives a normal life."

"No, that won't do, if you do that then all the candidates will find their way to Lala-sama."

The orange hair boy remains silent, taking a deep breath and looks straight to the emerald green eyes of the alien girl.

"Exactly, that won't do…that's why until Lala could find the one who suited for her…"

The entire area becomes devoid of sound, no more the sound of wind, no more the sound of water flowing in the river. It's like time, space and the entire universe are tied together and ready to explore at the same moment.

Rito clenches his fist tightly, his eyes burns up with determination.

This is his answer…..

 **Chapter 3** **: I'll be your protector.**

* * *

 **-Music 02: Everlasting by Kylee**

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of chapter 3, so what do you guys think about the decision that Rito chose ?**

 **Throughout reading the manga, not even once did I saw Rito stood up for himself. It's usually the girls that make the decision, Rito cares for everyone but thinks so little for himself, even he's just a normal Earthling.**

 **But in this fic, a different path has opened for him regardless for his experiences in the past.**

 **what would be different if he makes a choice of his own ? Well...i guess this is the answer he will reach considering his good nature.**

 **And still...what are those memories that haunting him, made him felt so nervous or even terrified instead of blushing at Lala confession ?**

 **I'll leave that in the future chapter.  
**

 **And...** **now that we nearly reach the conclusion of Lala arc,** **that's everything for now. Thank you and have a good day.**


	4. Chapter 4: Memory-After school

**And...chapter 4 is out, please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4** **: ~Memory-After school~**

In a small apartment lied somewhere in Sainan town, a blue hair girl is carefully doing her homework under the light of a table lamp…or at least that is what she's trying to do.

Despite only a few questions left, she couldn't bring herself to focus on it as the confession of the pink hair girl from the other day has filled in her mind. Eventually, she puts down the pen since all the concentration she spent on today assignment have decreased dramatically.

Closing the notebook gently, Haruna looks at a small photo placed at the corner of the table.

It's one of many photos of her days in middle school, these photos contains many important memories that the blue hair girl cherishes. In that photo, her classmates were lined up in a straight line and looked at the camera together, each of them tried their best to put on the best smile they can get for a commemorative photo. Of course, whoever takes a closer look at the photo could also see a boy with orange hair stood near the center of the photo.

Haruna lies down on her soft bed, eyes still look at that teenage boy in the photo. There are so many things that make her wonders.

…Yuuki-kun…..

….

In the next morning…

While on the way to Sainan highschool with his brother, the orange hair boy is reading the astronomy book diligently which he borrowed from the school library a few days ago.

After the event from last night, all the marriage troubles between him and Lala had been settled. With an invisible burden had been lifted off from his shoulder, Rito once again comes back to his daily life.

But there is some small change…

….

" _Are you sure, Earthling ?_

" _...I'm sure….."_

" _Rito-dono, don't you think this might be too much for an Earthling like you ?"_

" _I'm sorry Peke, I don't know if it too much for me or not, but that is my answer."_

 _All he has to do is protect this alien girl and to help her live on Earth. He couldn't accept Lala's feeling so this will be the only way to help both of them escape from this dilemma._

 _And that is enough for him…_

" _Earthling, what is your name ?"-Zastin asks._

" _Rito…..Yuuki Rito."_

" _Yuuki Rito, once again I'm truly amazed at your brave decision."-Zastin turns around and the light column reappears."I also make up my mind."_

" _Zastin ?"-Lala looks at the Deviluke's commander._

" _Lala-sama, I will go back to report to king Deviluke and try my best to persuade the king."-Zastin steps into the light, his body starts to float up slowly."I will tell him that there is a Earthling boy who willing to help his daughter and until Lala-sama can find her own happiness…that teenage boy will do his best to protect her."_

"… _."-the orange hair boy nods in silent._

" _I'm counting on you, Rito-dono."_

 _Finishing his speech, the light column disappears together with the Deviluke's military commander. Rito looks at the shining star moving on the dark sky, knowing that's another spaceship floating in the Earth atmosphere. He sighs in relief as something heavy has been lifted off of his shoulder._

 _Lala looks back at the orange hair boy, there's something in her chest that she can't find the right word to describe. Five minutes ago, when she just expressed her feeling, she has been rejected by an orange hair boy at an isolated planet in the solar system far away from her galaxy. What she didn't expect has built up that strange feeling flowing inside her heart, for a moment she felt like her heart was beating abruptly fast when she heard the boy's declaration. Instead of accepting her feeling for him, he will protect her and help her find a ray of hope in these troublesome future husband meetings, candidate marriages that her father has suggested._

 _Lala couldn't understand. Why did he has to do that ? Why is her heart beating so fast ?_

 _Could this be…..happiness ?_

" _Rito…I-"_

" _Lala…"-Rito extended his hand to her and smiled."It might be too late to say this but anyway…welcome to the Earth, from now on let's take care of each other, ok."_

 _Even if it just a little. Lala soon realized the feeling that rose up within her heart…._

" _Uhm, It's very nice to meet you Rito, please take care of me."-they skook hand._

… _this is happiness._

…

Starting today, there will be some small change in the boy's life.

Lala Satalin, the girl came from planet Deviluke will live with his family. Rito himself will be Lala's guardian in this time.

This could be a high risk decision that the boy chose and he knows that. But even so, no matter how many troubles it will bring to him, he will not regret for making that choice…

"Rito, that bruise on your head is still hurt ?"

"No, it's gone."

At least he hopes so…

Rito rubs the big bruise spot on his head and as he does that, a very important discovery comes back to his mind.

At home, Lala isn't just an energetic, innocent girl like he thought she would be, the pink hair girl seems to be a little bit of scatter-brained and doesn't mind walking around the house with only a towel wrapped around her. This caused Rito to almost have a heart attack when he saw Lala walked into his room last night and slept without wearing a single cloth, the boy had to go to his brother's room and sleep on the floor for a night.

And when morning came, he fell down the stairs right when he saw Lala walked out the bathroom with only a towel which she keeps in her hand.

After all that stuff in the morning, Rito begins to worry.

…..if this keeps up, I might have a real heart attack soon.

"So Lala will live on Earth starting today huh, Mikan looks happy when she heard that."

"...yeah…sorry nii-san, for making a decision like that all of sudden."

"No…"-Ito gently rubs his younger brother's head."…I think that choice suits your nature well. If protecting Lala is what you want then have faith in your decision, me and Yorozuya will support you."

"Thanks, nii-san. But since Lala's problems had already been solved yesterday, I think I should relax a little."

"What do you mean it already been solved ? There's still one more trouble at our school."

"Huh ? What trouble ?"

"….bride…"

Rito stops on his track, school bag falls from his grasp and the boy slightly pales as he just reminded an event that he is not suppose to forget.

All the male students at school still believe that Lala is his bride.

The orange boy hair looks down, letting out a small sigh. Fortunately, this rumor hadn't come true, everything was just a misunderstanding…no, it was already wronged in the beginning.

Rito scratches his cheek, he has to do something about this sooner or later.

"I will explain this to Saruyama and them."

…

First, to clear out this misunderstanding, the orange hair boy needs to give Saruyama and those boy a reasonable explanation but there's one thing that troubles him, who would believe that he is a guardian of an alien girl.

To his classmates, Rito is no different than a normal, naïve boy. Just hearing the word protect from him is enough for them to deny his explanation.

Realizing this before going to classroom. Rito leans his forehead to the wall, anime tears roll down his cheek.

…..right, who would believe that kind of story.

"Don't be so gloomy, it's not as bad as we think."-Ito walks pass Rito and goes to his seat.

Upon seeing the twin near the door Saruyama waving to them.

"Yo, Rito."

"Morning, Saruyama."-Rito waves back at him.

"Why is the cloudy face, did something happen ?"

"Saruyama, about what happened yesterday-"

"Ok, stop, I know what you are going to say."-Saruyama interrupts then suddenly becomes all depressing."You and Lala are going to marry, correct ? Damn you ! You really lucky, you know that !? Having such a beautiful girl like that-"

"No, you misunderstand ! Our relationship is not like that !"

The depressing face of Saruyama disappears, his eyes looks at the orange hair boy, sparkling with hope.

"Really ?"

Rito nods which makes his friend raises both hand in overjoy.

"Haha, of course it's like that, there's no way a pretty girl as Lala-chan could be your bride."-he laughs while walking back to his seat.

Not want to waste more time standing in the hall, the orange hair boy walks in. Before he could put his school bag on the table a thought strikes him as he remembers today is his turn to on class duty. Rito stops and looks at the corner of the board to see who will on class duty with him.

Daily chores: Sairenji | Yuuki Rito

...

The first lesson has ended with five minutes to take a break, Sairenji and the orange hair boy quickly clean the board for the next lesson. But during the cleaning she finds herself awkward and embarrassed the moment their eyes contact. Sairenji tries not to show these emotion of her out as she keeps acting like normal, hoping the boy won't notice it.

It has been a few days after that confession of the pink hair girl and the boy, Sairenji couldn't face the teenage boy normally, she is hesitating. All that questions built up inside her make her feels more difficult to talk to him.

Even though the blue hair girl has told herself that she will ask him someday but how could she do that when the chance is right in front of her ? How could she ask the boy that when it has nothing to do with her ?

…..maybe I shouldn't ask then.

"…um…Sairenji, did you have something you want to talk to me yesterday ?"

"Eh ?..uh, no…nothing."-Sairenji startles as the sudden question brings her back to reality."I don't have anything to say."

"….I see, sorry for asking."

The two go back to cleaning the board, no one say any word and Sairenji feels more awkwardness surrounding both her and the orange hair boy. Not until a moment later when they're nearly finish cleaning board, Rito starts another conversation with her.

"Uhm, about what happened back in a few days ago-"

"I'll take care of the rest, you can go ahead and take a break, Yuuki-kun."

"…uh….ok…"

Rito goes back to his seat and gets a brief glimpse of Sairenji over his shoulder, he remembers about what Saruyama often told him that he has feeling for Sairenji but is it true ? Did he really have feeling for the blue hair girl back in the middle school and even now ?

He couldn't tell…

Rito was always get nervous when talking to a girl in the past, indeed. And what if Saruyama mistakenly saw that as a sign that he had feeling for the class monitor ?

The orange hair boy moves his view to the blue sky behind the window near him. When he cleaned the board with Sairenji, he somehow noticed that the atmosphere around them became a little uneasy as both them didn't talk much to each other today.

….this is….

….this is so awkward.-their both have the same thought.

Shortly after that the second lesson starts and time pass…

….

School has ended, class has dimissed and everyone has gone home while Sairenji writes down today activities in a notebook. Rito has gone out to replace the water for some flower vases in their classroom. Putting the flower vase back on the shelf behind his seat, the orange hair boy stands before an opened window, he looks up on the sky now painted red by the shining light of dusk.

With only a few individual remain at school, silence covers the entire school ground. The two of them, no one say a word as there are an invisible wall between Sairenji and the boy. Through all the lessons today, Sairenji always avoids the orange hair boy whenever he tries to speak with her, she has missed a lot of opportunities to express these "curious" feeling inside her.

Sairenji couldn't understand why she did that.

Now that they are alone in this room, this could be the last chance for her to talk to him. And with that thought in mind, Sairenji closes the notebook and leaves it on the teacher's desk, she looks out the empty sight on the school ground.

The silent atmosphere around them…has been broke.

"Yuuki-kun…often took care of the flowers when we were in middle school as well, didn't you ?"

"…"-Rito turns his eyes to Sairenji.

"People usually forget about small things like changing water, but you still took care of it frequently."

In the past, Sairenji had seen the boy changed water for the flowers in their class many times. When it was Rito turn on class duty, only him did things like this.

"…oh…it's nothing special. My family grow lots of plants and flowers, but they seem to busy all the time so it's natural for me to take care of them. And eventually, it became my habit."-he closes the window.

"..I see…i think it's your kindness, Yuuki-kun."

"…um….thank you."

"Eh ?!"

Realizing that Sairenji herself just said that tenderly word without thinking, her face redden. The blue hair girl hurriedly bring the dustbin out of class, not wanting the boy to see the expression on her face at the moment.

"I-I'll go take out the trash."

As she walks to hasty through the door, her feet stump causing her to fall.

The dustbin hits the hard surface with a loud bang echos all over the hallway. Sairenji closes her eyes ready for the hurt impact, but a hand has grabbed her keeping her from falling down in the nick of time.

The girl slowly opens her eyes and looks over her shoulder, she could feel her cheek are warming up as Rito's hand is wrapping around her waist and the other hand is holding the edge of the door tightly.

Seeing the girl redden face Rito quickly releases both hand in surprised.

"S….sorry, Sairenji."-he lowers his head to apologize.

Watching the clumsy act of the boy, Sairenji's heart throbs again.

She smiles…

All that "curious" feeling or wondering are apparently no longer in her chest, and instead she feels happy.

"Thank you, Yuuki-kun."

The orange hair boy is still as kind as ever.

"Yuuki-kun, will you help me take out the trash ?"

As Rito watches the girl in front of him smiles, he can't help but smiles too.

…..so glad, that anxious look on Sairenji face has gone.

The true is…

Despite Sairenji had tried to avoid the orange hair boy throughout the whole time before school ended, he still recognized that worried expression of her. Thinking that it could relate to Lala's confession a few day agos, he had intended to explain everything to Sairenji when school ends.

But now, it looks like that is no longer necessary.

Sairenji is smiling, all the worry in her eyes has disappeared. With that, everything is good now.

"Sure."

….….

''Lala….where are you ?...Lala !"

After eating breakfast, the highschool boy calls out the alien girl's name while going around the house to find her. Searching the girl for a while the boy realizes that he is going to be late for school, so he decides to head straight to school.

…that's strange, where did she go ?

Making his way to his seat, Rito sits down and looks out the window.

"Have you found Lala yet ?"-Ito asks him.

"No, Lala isn't at home, Mikan also said that she didn't see Lala anywhere."

Closing the novel in his hand, Ito places a hand on his chin and think.

"Rito, last night Lala said that she wants to borrow your school uniform, right ?"

"…um…yes, she asked for a blazer that has the school logo attached to it."

"…"

"…."

A few second pass in silent, a sweat drop appears on top the twin's head.

"Rito…..I-I think I know where Lala is."

"…y-yeah…me too."

"Yo, morning guys, what's with that worried faces of both of you ?"

The two turns around the boy who waving at them while smiling brightly with a joyful face.

"Saruyama."-Ritos says his friend's name.

"You looks happy, did something good happened ?"

"Well~~, I don't know why but I feel so happy guys, I just walked pass the principal office-"

The school bell rings rapidly cutting in Saruyama words.

"Oh well, I'll tell you later then."

Everyone goes back to their seat, an elderly teacher slowly walks in the orange hair boy's class. Rito quickly opens the window next to him so the class would be more airy for his sensei, the elderly teacher fixes his glasses as he feels the cool wind blows in.

"Uhh, it's rather sudden, but we have a new transfer student."-he looks at the closed door."Come on in."

"Okay~!"

The door opened with a sweet voice, the wind outside the window blows in causing the transfer student beautiful pink hair to fly backward. Seeing this makes the whole class to go wow and all the boy fluster.

"Oh man, such a beauty !"

"So pretty~!"

"So cute~!"

"Please be my girlfriend !"

"Yoo hoo, Rito~~, now I'm a student in this school too."

Just as the twin thought, the new transfer student is none other than Lala.

"Ghhhrrr…Rito.."

Rito looks away from everyone as he could feel a cold chill runs down his spine, many eyes with killing intent direct at him.

Ito gives his brother a light pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck."

The orange hair boy sighs, he hopes that the magic word Ito just said will come to him, because in the next break time…all the boys in his class will definitely chase him to the end of the world.

 _ **ARC 1: Lala Satalin Deviluke**_

 _ **End**_

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of the first arc.**

 **I feel like this chapter is shorter than the last one, so what do you guys think about this arc ? please share with me your opinion so i will know what i should improve in the future arcs, i'll be thankful for that.  
**

 **And...that's everything( there's not much else to say). Thank you and have a good day.**

 **ARC 2 here i come !**


	5. Chapter 5: Approaching-New life

**Alright, chapter 5 is out. Please enjoy~.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 _ **ARC 2: Ghi Bree**_

 **Chapter 5** **: ~Approaching_New life~**

Somewhere near the Earth's atmosphere, a couples of red light flash continuously making the spaceship that emits it stands out in the dark, empty space.

"Commander Zastin ! We have an emergency situation !"

The Deviluke's military commander looks up at the big screen that displaying a small green dot. He frowns when that dot moves to another big ones.

"We just detected an unidentified spaceship and it will soon enter the Earth's atmosphere !"

Zastin waves his hand giving the subordinates to turn off the alarm bell, the whole ship returns to it normal state and mixes into the darkness of the universe.

…so they've already come, I didn't expect the rumor to be spread this fast.

Crossing his arms, Zastin turns his blue eyes toward the big round planet named Earth in front of him.

"Keep your eyes on them, I will go meet Lala-sama."

"Yes, sir !"

...

"Hey, did you see that transfer student ?"

"I did, she's really cute, and stylish, too."

"Here, she let me take a picture of her on my cell phone."

When break time starts, the whole school has become more lively than usual as the students are discussing about a certain pink hair girl who just transferred here this morning. Some people even quickly take a picture of her and spread it to everyone in the school.

Following that are a few rumors.

Some believe that she is a foreign based on her super model-like figure.

Some believe that this pretty girl is a noble young lady.

But on top of all that, one rumor that the students debate most and makes the boys jealous most is that the pink hair girl has already had someone in mind.

"Seriously ?! She has someone in her mind already ?!"

"Uh, a boy named Yuuki who is studying in the same class as her."

And it's not just that.

"Rumor also has it that they are living together."

"WHAT ?!"-a scream filled with full of jealousy of all the male student echoes to every corner of the hallway.

…hm, Rito is going to have a hard time for this.

Ito pops his head out from the window watching the ruckus on the hallway. Saruyama also follows him popping his head out to watch but it seems that his mind is still on nine cloud, smiling non stop.

"Ehehehe~."

"Saruyama, you look happy for a while now, do you have something really fun in your mind ?"

"Lala-chan transferred here to study, how can I not happy ! I think I'm in heaven now~."

"Then what about the stuff you said before, in front of the principal's office…?"

"Oh, that. Well it's still about Lala-chan, when I went pass there I saw Lala-chan in that room."

"…..?"

…..

The orange hair boy runs to the rooftop of Sainan highschool. Just when he gets passed the door that leads back to the floor below, he closes it tight and leans against the wall, sighing in relief.

"What wrong, Rito ?"

The said boy follows the sweet voice of the alien girl, Lala, who is standing before him. Her emerald green eyes watch him in wonder as she has no idea what is happening.

… _a few minutes ago….._

 _After the bell rang to give the signal that the first lesson has ended, Lala came to the boy's seat._

" _Rito~."_

 _Hearing the girl called out his name, the boy paled._

 _Even though the alien girl was standing next to him, all the words that he could hear clearly most and dangerous most are the growl and gritten teeth of the boys in class as they are glaring at him with murdering aura._

 _Rito pushed the chair, stood up slowly, the other boys also did the same and keep glaring at him._

" _L…..Lala…can you go to the rooftop and wait for me ?"-he whispered to her._

" _Oh~, the rooftop…ok~."_

 _Rito ran out the class with all his might when Lala just agreed. The jealousy mob also ran after him, screamed and yelled with all type of negative emotions._

" _Get him !"_

" _Yuuki ! You are so dead, you hear me ?!"_

" _Nooo, you misunderstand ! It's not what you think !"_

….

After running around the school buildings for quite a while, the orange hair boy finally breaks loose from his classmates and goes to meet Lala.

At this hour, the entire rooftop is devoid of people which is a good place for both Rito and the princess of Deviluke to talk, a safe place to deal with the trouble back then without fearing that the girl's real identity will be discovered.

The boy clutches his head and sits down near the door, his face still pales a little.

"Lala…we're in big trouble."

"Heh ? Trouble…what kind of trouble ?"-Lala asks with an innocent face.

"We're now the targets of rumors around the school, that will get a lot of attention."-he looks at the waving tail behind Lala, worrying."And not to mention that Lala's identity as an alien could be discovered."

"Eh~, but…didn't I have Rito here to protect me~."-Lala places both hands on her cheek, blushing slightly."I just wanted to be by your side all the time, Rito."

Smoke bursts out from the boy's head as his mind tries to progress Lala's lovely words. Not knowing how to respond, he rubs his neck for a moment and suddenly notices something as a thought comes to him.

"That's right, how did you take care of the transferring procedures ?"

"Ah~, that was simple."-Lala points up a finger."I just came to the office of a person called principal and asked for permission."

Rito looks at the pink hair girl with half of his eyes opened, a sweat drips down from his forehead.

"…t-then…what did sensei say to you ?"

"Well…."

….

" _You're cute, so sure !"_

Both Rito and Ito hit the ground at the same time, what they heard was unbelievable.

"Knowing that Lala will study here with us, I feel like life just gave me a lot of chances."-Saruyama raises his fist up high and shouts in happiness."I'm so happy, guys, life is so good~!"

Ito reaches his hand to the window frame and pulls himself up, sweat drops.

…..that perverted headmaster.

…..sensei…just why…

Rito shakes his head and sighs. Giving up with the pervert nature of the fat principal of his school.

"He said something like that."-the alien girl smiles, she leans toward the boy a little bit then continues."Anyhow you don't have to worry, I didn't tell anyone that I'm an alien."

"…uhm, but…"-the orange hair boy steps close to her."…it's best that Lala shouldn't attract anymore attention, who knows what kind of trouble will come to you."

"Rito-dono is right, Lala-sama."-Peke speaks in a form of a small round hairclip on the pink hair girl's head."If your identity as the princess of planet Deviluke were known to the public, your life could be in danger."

Once this secret is leaked out, it's unpredictable to know what will happen to both of them. More dangerous than that, not just Lala but the life of the people around the teenage boy could be at risk or even be threaten.

"Well, if Rito-dono were a dependable man, I think I wouldn't need to worry about it too much."

"Hihihi~, don't worry Peke~."-Lala raises both fists above her chest and speaks with a voice full of confidence."Rito will surely protect me, when it comes down to it he is really dependable."

"…a..ahaha.."-the boy smiles nervously, thinking that both the robot and the pink hair girl are not really considering this seriously.

Lala knows that she is currently living in a strange place. As she was the princess of the mightiest race in the universe, she had grown up in an extremely strict environment filled with protection and not even once did she step out to the outside world.

Even this could be the first time she comes to study at a place called "school" and makes friend. That explains why Lala is very excited about this new life since it has a lot of new things that she doesn't know of.

Watching that happy smile of Lala, the orange hair boy thinks that this could probably be the best thing that she deserves to have. He knew Lala didn't mean to get every attentions around her, it just that her lovely beauty makes herself stand out too much in the crowd.

With that thought in mind, the boy smiles making both Lala and Peke widen their eyes slightly in surprised.

Being discovered the real identity could be a huge problem, but when thinking back that problem is not as serious as he thought it would be.

Although Lala has attracted the entire school in an unintentional way, the pink hair girl still hasn't done anything to make them suspicious. But of course, the rumor about her being the boy's bride is still there, still exists, but if he can explain it clearly to the boys in his class then they will surely forgive him…

He hopes so…..

[School's bell sound]

The bells rings, it noise echoes in the whole school which makes Lala looks around in wonder when she hears it.

"Huh, what is that sound ?"

"It's a signal that break is over."-Rito walks fast to the door that he just closed when he ran up from the lower floor."Lala, let's go back to class."

When he opens it, suddenly a strong wind blows in flipping up the girl's skirt. The orange hair boy turns away in panic, one arm cover the upper half of his face and forehead.

Not paying attention to the accused wind, Lala still looks at the boy and his "strange" act.

"La…Lala-sama, your skirt !"-Peke says out loud.

"Heh ? Oh, right…"-Lala quickly fixes her skirt and when she looks back at the spot where the boy is standing, she see…no one.

Rito has disappeared from her sight in a blink of an eye.

"Ah~~, Rito, wait for me !"

The pink hair girl hurriedly runs down the stairs to catch up with him.

But as she arrives at the lower floor, an image of the orange hair boy covers his forehead comes back to her.

Back then…

In that moment when the strong wind blew past the rooftop, she saw something weird on the orange hair boy's forehead but couldn't make it clear since he turned away so fast.

…back then, did I just saw…a scar ?

"Nah~, it must be my imagination."

"Huh, did you just say something Lala-sama ?"

"No, nothing Peke."

The alien girl continues to catch up with the boy. However…

…Lala has no idea that the teenage is still standing behind the corner next to the door. While listening to the sound of her footsteps that are getting lower, the orange hair boy puts a hand on his forehead and rubs it for a few seconds. He then covers it with his bangs.

Closing the door, he lets out a small sigh and returns to class.

The lessons continue as time pass and lunch break soon comes.

...

After spending a good amount of time to study, the students start to relax when another school's bell rings. Some students go to their club activities, some have lunch and chat with others.

Putting all the books and lesson plans back to his bag, Honekawa-sensei, the elderly teacher fixes his glasses and calls out the name of the blue hair girl.

"Sairenji, you are the class representative, aren't you ? Show Lala-kun around the school club activities, would you ?"

"Ah…yes."-Sairenji responds with a hint of surprise in her voice.

The pink hair walks to Sairenji's seat, smiling joyful.

"I'm Sairenji Haruna."

"I'm Lala, nice to meet you~."

Watching the two girls walk out of class, the orange hair boy rolls his eyes back to the astronomy book on his desk hoping that Lala won't do anything to attract unnecessary attention.

A male student approaches him and pats on his shoulder.

"Oi Rito, want to go buy some drink ?"

"…uhm."

The orange hair boy closes the book and leaves the room with Saruyama.

…

Guiding Lala to each of the classroom, Sairenji gives the alien girl a very detail explanation about its usefulness and what it's use for. Lala is having a good look around the school, she finds it interested as all of these things are new to her.

While waiting for the alien girl to have a look in the chemistry club, Sairenji looks back to the description paper in her hand. Accidentally, Lala's waving tail strikes the blue hair girl's eyes.

…is that…an accessory ?...it's not a real tail, is it…?

"Hey, hey, Haruna~."-Lala turns back and calls her.

"Uh…yes, Lala-san ?"-the girl startles as she is lost in thought.

"School is so fun, isn't it ? Everyone is here together and having a good time, I'm glad I came to this place."-the alien girl smiles brightly.

"…is…is that so ?"-Sairenji speaks with a halt, not really understand the meaning of that word.

The two continue the school tour of Lala, this time the blue hair girl leads her to the schoolyard where most of the sport clubs are active.

Standing in front of a huge field belongs to the baseball club, Lala places both hands behind her back, thinking.

"Haruna, do you have someone you like ?"

"Eh ? Wh-why all of sudden…!"-Sairenji startles again, a tinge of redness slowly shows on her cheek.

Lala watches the embarrassed expression of Sairenji for a moment then looks up at the deep blue sky, an image of an orange hair boy appears in her mind.

"Recently, I fell in love with someone for the first time, it's a strange feeling to be in love…my heart is pounding so fast and it won't slow down."

…..is she talking about…Yuuki-kun ?

Sairenji places a hand on her chest as she can feel her heart is beating hard, something rises within Sairenji like it's urging her.

Wanting her to ask the pink hair girl…

Wanting to clear out many questions that are still reside in her, many questions about Lala and that orange hair boy…

Sairenji gathers up her courage, trying to say the word that she wants to know most about those two.

"…do…do you-"

Thud !

Before Sairenji could even finish her word, a baseball abruptly rolls toward their feet.

"Sorry, could you please throw it back to us ?!"-a member of the baseball club says from a far distance.

Sairenji bends down to pick the ball but Lala has quickly picked up to have a closer look.

"Wha~, what's this ?"

"…ah…that's the baseball club's…"

"Hmm~~."-Lala eyes sparkling with interest, she immediately runs to the club in front of her."Hey, let me try it !"

"Eh ?! Lala-san !"-Sairenji is surprised at the act of the transfer student.

"Hey, look, that girl…"

"She's the rumor pretty transfer student."

"She wants to try out baseball ? Is that alright, Motemitsu-senpai ?"

The baseball club's members move their eyes all together toward a handsome young man who is grinning in self-confidence.

"Heh, interesting. This is a good chance, I, the baseball club's ace pitcher, will throw for her."

"I just hit that ball with this stick, right ?"-Lala grabs the bat and steps on the pitch.

Upon seeing the beautiful alien girl up closed, the handsome young man, Motemitsu, smiles.

…well well, she is pretty cute just like the rumor said, a shined beauty. I guess I'll go easy on her.

He throws the ball toward the pink hair girl, Lala tighten her grasp and swings…

….

….eh ?

Everyone in the baseball field gape in silence as what just happened was unbelievable.

"Ohh~~, the ball just keeps going and going."

"Lala-sama, you should adjust your power to the Earthling's level, or this won't be good."-Peke whispers.

The ball flies far away from the school with a speed that nearly equals to a bullet fired from a gun and completely disappears on the sky.

Motemitsu's mouth agape with pure stunned at the home run of the transfer student. Never before did he see a hit like that, something is definitely not right here.

…..w-well it doesn't matter.

Motemitsu fixes the cap he is wearing, still seemed surprised…and a little embarrassing, too.

"Ha…hahaha, not only cute, but you're also good at this, too."-putting a hand on his chin, the hot boy pitcher's eyes switch to a more confident and gallant demeanour."I like it, I'll let you be my girlfriend."

Motemitsu winks at Lala making all the other members of the baseball club to cheer him on in enthusiasm.

"Woah ! Now that is Motemitsu-senpai ! He's making an advance on her already !"

"And look at him talking with such an attitude, a perfect confession !"

"The transfer student will fall for him for sure !"

Hearing all those cheering lines, Motemitsu smiles victoriously…..only to be received a cold shoulder.

"Eh~? No thanks."

Every member in the baseball club suddenly burst with joy, no one knows why.

"Yeah ! That is Motemitsu-senpai for you, he is rejected immediately !"

"Kuh !...then….t-then have a match with me !"-Motemitsu panics when his perfect confession plus his gallant attitude have been ignored without mercy."If…i-i-if you cannot hit my next ball, you have to become my girlfriend !"

"Ohh ! He is indeed Motemitsu-senpai ! Such a one-sided deal !"

"A match ? Sure, I won't lose anyway."

Observing the scene for a short while, Sairenji is astonished at the carefree attitude and that amazing home run of the pink hair girl.

Noticing the looks on Sairenji's face and other students who pass by to his master, Peke whispers to Lala.

"Lala-sama, don't ! You can't get anymore attention !"

"Oh~ you right, I totally forgot about that. But I really don't want to run away at all, Peke."

Lala has prepared to have another match with Motemitsu, if she leaves now that just won't fit her personality. Who would run away in the middle of the fun…Lala thought so.

Right at that moment…

"Ow…ow, it hurts."- a spikey hair boy lets out a deep sigh when he walks past the field nearby, his hand rubs the swelling spot on his head."Why do I keep falling down the stairs this entire morning, such misfortune."

"Go to the nurse's office to get some medicine or it's will get worse."

"It seems like you met a lot of misfortunes today, Daigo."

Walking alongside him are Saruyama and the orange hair boy.

Lala waves hand at the boy the moment she see him.

"Ah~, Rito ! Perfect timing."

"…huh ?"

…..Yuuki-kun…why is he here…?-Sairenji thinks, she is a little surprised when she hears his name.

…..

"…have a match for Lala ?"

"You will do a good job, please~."

…Lala has attracted more unnecessary attentions again.

The teenage boy rubs his head for a few seconds thinking about what Lala just told him and finally agrees. When Lala said that if she cannot hit this ball, she'll have to be Motemitsu-senpai girlfriend, Rito knows he doesn't have any other choices but to do this for her instead.

He has to do this, because if it happens for real then it would be complex for Motemitsu-senpai. Who knows what kind of reaction he'll have if he knows Lala is not an Earthling.

He will definitely not miss this ball.

"Alright."

"I'm glad~. Oh but, wait here for a moment."

"…?"

Lala brings the bat with her and goes behind the gym equipment stored near there so no one can see her. The orange hair boy waits, he can't figure out what the girl is trying to do.

"Rito, that's the alien girl named Lala Satalin that you told us before, isn't it ?"-the spikey hair boy stands next to him and asks.

"…yeah."

Rito doesn't say any more word for a few next seconds so the spikey hair boy continues.

"I heard from Ito, about your decision…"

"…I.."

"I'll support you."-Daigo smiles."It's nothing wrong to make a choice like that, after all we both are in the same situation."

"…thanks, I'll call you if I ever need help."

Daigo nods, he turns around and goes back into the school building. As he steps one foot ahead misfortune strikes him again, his foot steps right on to the ball rolling around the field which making him hits the ground hard.

"Ah, misfortune called out to you again."-Saruyama smirks at the sight.

The spikey hair boy lifts his head up and touches the swelling spot on his head which just got worse, sighing.

"…such misfortune."

…

Behind the gym equipment stored, Lala takes out her pink cell phone and press several buttons, the device screen brighten and a wand-like device appears.

"Lala-sama, what are you doing with the Almighty Tool ?"

"Since this is Rito's turn, I thought it would be better if I make it more flashy."

A lot of noises starts to echo from behind the small gym and sometime there is even a sound of a chainsaw. The orange hair boy hears it so clear that he starts to worry about what kind of thing Lala is doing back there.

A minute later Lala comes to him and gives him a new bat.

"Here, please use this~."

Holding the bat in his hand, the boy examines it, the outside of the bat is still the same although there are a spiral emblem attached near the top of it.

"Lala…this is…?"

"It's called Buzzing Bat-kun~."

"What did you just do to it ?"

"Don't worry, I just modified it a little."

The teenage boy goes to the home plate and looks back at the bat in his hand one more time as he feels something strange about it.

As Rito sweeps his hand across the bat's surface, he finds out some very small gaps on it. If a person just glance at it then their normal eyes can never see these small gaps. Once discovers three abnormal gaps on the bat surface, the boy press it to his ear and he sweat drops.

….there's an….engine sound in here…

And it is extremely soft.

He turns back to look at Lala, that alien girl has definitely done something to this bat.

"What are you doing, Rito ?! Hurry up !"-Lala rushes him.

The orange hair boy stands on the right side of the home plate, he raises the bat equal to his shoulder's height and gets ready for the ball. Somehow, Rito has a bad feeling if he stood on the left side which taking a position that turns his back to Lala…he doesn't know why, but he feels like he should avoid that.

"So you're filling in for her ?"-Motemitsu smirks."Hahaha ! Don't be so silly !"

He begins to lift up his left leg, the basic movement of a pitcher who is ready to throw the base ball.

"An amateur wants to hit the ball thrown by me, the one who will surely become a professional in the future ? You wish !"-He throws it.

The ball is sent flying with an unmatch speed, this is the throw that makes Motemitsu the ace of the baseball club and the boy will never hit it…are what he thought.

Rito stretches out both leg to equal the length of his shoulder, his eyes focus on the ball then quickly looks at Lala. The alien girl is holding a pink phone, her finger is moving as she is going to press a button on it.

Immediately, Rito lifts up his left leg when the ball is still two meters in front of him.

Pi !-Lala press the button.

Right at the moment the bat is swing, all the gaps on it surface open revealing three hidden rockets.

Rito lets loose the bat….

In that afternoon, a storm blows away all the member of the baseball club including Motemitsu who is lying unconscious on the ground due to the ball grazes his head.

Both the ball and the bat are disappear, Rito pales as he witness the scene that caused by Lala's invention.

"Kyah~, Rito is so cool."-Lala clasps hands, smiling happy as she is completely normal about this.

Sairenji stays silent, she doesn't know what should be said with the sight in front of her.

"Ah, that was fun, let's go to the next one, Haruna."

"Eh…ah, okay."

"Rito~, let's meet again later."

The orange hair boy doesn't respond, he just waves back weakly.

…

"Next, I'm introduce you to the girl's tennis club that I'm affiliated with."

"Okay~."

Both girls go to a tennis field behind school. A man approaches them when he saw the girls comes here.

"Sasuga-sensei, hello."-Sairenji gently bows her head.

"Hello, Sairenji-kun."-the man moves his eyes to the pink hair girl and he surprised."Eh ? Are you the transfer student that everyone is talking about ?"

Lala nods, smiling.

"I'm showing Lala-san around the club activities as she just transferred here this morning."-Sairenji explains.

"I see, welcome to the tennis club, if you want to participate in here, you just need to tell me, ok ?"

"Okay~."

Meanwhile…at the front of Sainan police station.

"Huh ? You again ?"

"I'm sorry, I lost my way again."-the Deviluke's military commander complains in exhausted.

"Honestly, you should throw away that suspicious costume or else somebody is going to…what is that ?"-the policemen looks up in the sky, wondering.

Zastin jumped, he looks up.

….they here !

Unfortunately, Opposing to the Devilukean's thought, a baseball bat is spinning madly toward his direction, there are even rocket engines on it body.

"Eh ? Is that…"

Zastin never manage to finish his word as the bat crashed into his head, eventually making him lost conscious right on the spot.

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of the first chapter of arc 2.  
**

 **A new life has started for the first princess of Deviluke and new troubles has come to the orange hair boy already.**

 **A threat is slowly approaching the life of these two( I think you already knew who's that).**

 **And I been wondering, what did you guys see in Rito's personality ? Does it the same from the manga and anime ? I want to know your opinion.**

 **Well...that's everything for now, it seems like we have more mysterious cover the orange hair boy don't you agree. Anyway, thank you and have a good day.**


	6. Chapter 6: Targeted-Camouflage

**Good day everyone, chapter 6 is out.**

 **I added the links of the two music to my profile so if you feel like listen to it, please do. Anyway, enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6** **: ~Targeted_Camouflage~**

"Hihihi~, I knew so many new things today, school is so fun~."

The first day at school of the alien girl has ended, this is the first time she has experienced of schooling and making friend.

Still wearing Sainan high school uniform, Lala sits down at the table to wait for dinner as Mikan brings out the foods.

The alien girl humming and smiling quietly while waiting, she hopes tomorrow will come soon so she can go to school with the orange hair boy again. When Lala just thought about him, she notices that he is not here in the kitchen nor the living room.

"Where is Rito, I don't see him anywhere ?"

Some footsteps echo from the hall outside the room that both girls are in and judging by the sound, it's heading toward the kitchen. Lala turns to look at the doorway when she heard it, thinking that the orange hair boy is coming this way.

"Rito~, dinner is ready."-the alien girl speaks with a happy tone."Hurry and sit with-"

However, opposing to Lala's expected, the person who just walked in was the brown hair boy, Rito's brother.

"Rito's not home, he went outside for a while."

"Eh~~, outside ?"-Lala looks back at all the delicious foods on the table, a little disappointed."Then what about dinner ?"

"He'll be back soon, you just have to wait."-Ito puts the novel he is holding on a shelf, he sits at the table. The cell phone in his pocket slightly shake in sudden.

"But where did Rito go at this hour ?"

"Ah, Lala still didn't know about this, Rito has some works at Yorozuya today so he will come home a little bit late."-Mikan says while places the last dish on the table.

"Yorozuya ?"-the alien girl tilts her head."What is Yorozuya ?"

"Well, it's a…."-Mikan places a finger on her lip and tries to remember."…an all do shop where they take all kind of jobs or something like that if I remember correctly."

"An all do shop ?"-the alien girl questions again.

"Um, Rito is currently working at there with Ito as a part-time job, today is his shift."-Mikan begins to fill her bowl with rice."So right now we just have to eat first, Rito can have dinner later."

"No, wait for a few more minutes Mikan."

"Eh ?"-Mikan turns to the brown hair boy who is holding a phone.

"Rito just text me, he's on his way back."-Ito shows the two his brother's email.

"Then Rito will come home soon today ?"-Lala clasps her hand happily after receiving a nod from the teenage boy."So great, we can have dinner together now~."

To make use of the time while waiting, Ito goes back to the shelf and takes the novel, he walks to the living room and lies down on the sofa to continues with the story he left half way done while Mikan and the alien girl are still chatting in the kitchen.

…..

"Finally, I finished the syllabus for tomorrow's lesson."

Closing back the drawer on his work desk, the young P.E teacher, Sasuga, stretches out his arms to drive away the tiredness on his back. It's been two hours after the school had ended, the man has to stay here to finish the lesson plan for tomorrow classes.

The school is awfully quiet in the evening, sometime the sound of Sasuga footsteps keep echo on the long, dark corridors which making him feels a little chilling. Sasuga walks fast to the school gate but he stops when he see the light in the principal's office is still on.

Curious as to why the headmaster is still here at this hour, he peeks through the round window made from glass on the door. Inside the office stood a man with round body, overweight to be exact, he has a bald head and is wearing sunglasses. Right now in Sasuga's eyes, the man is turning his back to him.

"Oh, principal, you still here ?"-He opens the door and walks in."What are you doing here at this hour anyway ?"

[The principal] doesn't respond to Sasuga's question, he just stands there motionless like a rock.

"…uhm…principal…?"

Sasuga places one hand on the principal's shoulder, he immediately feels a chill runs down his spine when he notices something slippery is on the principal's shoulder.

"Uwa ! W-what is this ? Principal, what did you…"

Sasuga suddenly freezes in place, widen his eyes as he see a feet jut out from behind the corner of [the principal]'s desk. He quickly moves to the desk to check like his instint tells him to but unfortunately, he doesn't prepare for what he is about to see.

A horrible sight is lying in front of Sasuga.

The principal is lying on the floor, shriveling and unconscious with a porn magazine next to him, he mutters like he is dreaming.

"Ohoho…hoho…pretty girl..oppai…~."

"Prin…principal !"

Sasuga's gaze moves between the two principal in the room, he couldn't understand what is happening.

"Two….two principals !? What is this, what happens ?!"

[The principal] who stands in the middle of the room approaches Sasuga, the P.E teacher startles and backs away from him. Due to back away so hastily, Sasuga's foot stumbles over the leg of the unconscious principal and falls down. The other principal stands before him, Sasuga looks up in nervous to see his face but he can't as the light on top the ceiling prevents him from do so, it shines upon [the principal] so all Sasuga can see is his shadow slowly covers him.

A thin smoke appears and spread around the office.

Sasuga's vision suddenly becomes blurry, he feels the urge to sleep is rising in him and he finds it hard to describe what is wrong with him.

…..wh….what is this…?...princi…..p..a…l….

The young teacher falls into a deep sleep, he's no longer knows what will happen to himself anymore.

Looking down at the unconscious Sasuga, [the principal] who stands before him transform. His body changes to a more tallers, thinner figure, and while in the middle of the transformation, a word escapes from his mouth.

"Kukuku, soon you will be mine, Lala."

…

"Thank you very much."

An automatic door opens, the rubbing sound from it and the floor quietly echo in the soundless night, all the light on the ceiling light up a small part of the dark alley.

The orange hair boy walks out from the convenience store with a plastic bag in his hand, he just finished texting to his brother. Putting the cell phone back into his pocket, Rito looks over to the stuff he bought inside the bag.

….a plasters box, two bandages, a package of Kobe beef….I think this much is enough.

After done checking, the boy nods and continues on his way to a friend house as he intends to visit the person first before going home.

Today was his shift at Yorozuya, the place where both him and the brown hair boy work. While en route to there, he received a message from a certain white hair friend. For some reason, his work place hardly has any customers or new task on today so eventually the orange hair boy has a day off from work and enjoys the whole evening for himself.

…..wait….

Rito recalls a few days ago his brother also went home sooner than usual. Does that mean lately their work place only has a few or almost no request at all ?

…If that's so, then "everyone" could be relaxed for a while.

The orange hair boy stops by at a two stories building. To be more specific, it's a recently upgraded apartment, the price is cheap and it has everything that a person need in their daily activities. This is also the place where the black spikey hair boy lives.

Rito opens one side of the small gate in front of him and walks up to a steel stairs. He follows the narrow corridor until he reaches a door lied at the end of it. The boy knocks on the door a few times.

"Hm ? Daigo, someone is at the door."-the voice of a little girl resounds on the other side."I'll open it."

"Wait, hold on Index, let me open it."

Some hurried footsteps with a following "click" sound can be heard behind the door, Rito takes a few steps back to create a distance for his friend to open it. The spikey hair boy looks at him then shifts his eyes to the plastic bag Rito is holding.

"Here."-Rito takes out the beef package and gives to him."Your dinner ingredient."

"Thanks, Index suddenly wants to eat hot pot but I short of meat."-the spikey hair boy says while looking back at the girl who is wearing a white nun habit."But I can't leave her alone at home at this hour either, sorry for bothering you."

Right before Rito dropped in the convenience store, he had received a message asking for help from this spikey hair boy. Since both of them are working together at the Yorozuya, Daigo knew that today shift is the orange hair boy's turn.

"Anyway, thanks a lot."-Daigo takes the package, his hand grabs the door-knob ready to close it."I'll pay you back tomorrow, now I have to cook this quickly or else that nun is going to bite me hard."

Watching the boy sweat drops, Rito smiles nervously.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

The door closed back, the black hair boy's voice can still be heard clearly from the other side.

"Index, we have meat now, what kind of hot pot you want to eat ?"

"Heh ! Really ?! Then I'll….."

Not to waste any more times Rito leaves the apartment and quickly comes home to eat dinner with his brother, Mikan and that alien girl.

Running for while a distance, he stops in his tracks right under a street light when a shadow is slowly approaching him…..…

…

"Rito."

"…"

"Rito !"

"…huh ?...w-w-what is it Mikan ?"

"Why are you spacing out ? The food will get cold if you don't eat."

The orange hair boy picks up the chopstick and eats some of the foods while Mikan gazes at him, she doesn't know why her brother just sat there looked out the yard from the start of the dinner and hasn't eaten anything until she called out to him.

Ito notices the expression of his little brother but still eating like nothing happen.

The alien princess doesn't pay much attention to the boy's look as the delicious flavour of the Earth's food has completely grasped her focus.

"Hihi~, this soup is so delicious."

"It's a miso soup with clams."-Mikan explains to Lala, the alien girl's compliment seems to drive away the young girl's thought.

"I see, Earthling food is really good, isn't it, Mikan~ ?"

"Tsk, tsk, it's not that Lala-san."-Mikan waves a finger as she says confidently."It's the cook's skill."

Turning back to her orange hair brother, Mikan see his eyes keep looking out the yard while his mouth's chewing, hand's picking up the food but he doesn't entirely pay his mind to it like everyday.

The little sister see it weird.

A few minutes later after the dinner, when Lala leaves the table to go somewhere, Mikan places both arms on it to support her chin and smiles.

"Ne, Rito."

"Hm ?"

"You really don't want to get marry to Lala-san ?"

All the soup, rice almost eject from the boy's mouth, he covers it, trying his best to swallow all of it in a beat then coughing.

"…'cough'….why…'cough'…are you asking that all of sudden ?"-he pats his chest.

"You have to ask ? Lala-san is beautiful and gorgeous, she even said she wanted to marry you."-Mikan says with a smirk on her face."But you rejected a girl like that made me really surprised."

"…..well….I have many reasons for that…"-he scratches his head.

"Reason, huh ?"-Mikan's half-opened eyes stare at him, she shrugs."But still, after Lala-san showed up, this house has become more bright and cheerful, I'm happy !"

Mikan doesn't care much about the fact that Lala is an alien. Even if it's the truth or not it doesn't matter, Lala's appearance is very much the same as human, the alien girl can even speaks Japanese fluently and her nature is funny as well. With only these, Mikan already has a strong impression on the princess of Deviluke.

"Ah, and one more thing."

"…?"

"You said you will protect Lala-san."-from the otherside of the table, Mikan stretches out her hand to reach Rito and taps his nose, her smile widen."But are you sure you're able to do that, baka onii-chan ?"

The orange hair boy smiles sheepishly, massaging the right hand wrapped in bandage.

"I…never thought that I would have enough strength to do this, but at least that is everything I could do for Lala while she is living here on Earth."-Rito stands up from his seat, brings his dishes to the sink and looks back at Mikan."And…..isn't Lala's smile become more brightly than before ?"

The young girl widen her eyes slightly at the boy's statement. Throughout the talk, even if it's just a little, Mikan noticed the smile of the princess has become more cheerful and natural than the first time they met. She didn't think that her idiotic brother could also notice that.

Rito is always naïve, his sense isn't sharp much when it relate to a girl's topic. But understanding somebody else's feeling and facial expression is another entirely different matter.

"And just like you said, Mikan."

"Huh ?"

Mikan snaps out of her thought, when she just realized that she was lost in thought Rito has patted her head.

"If you feel happy when Lala is here, then is good."

Mikan feels her cheek are slowly burning hot as the boy rubs her head gently, a tinge of redness visible on her face.

"Honestly, you and Ito, don't pat my head like that so sudden."-Mikan pushes out her brother's hand lightly.

"…uh….sorry."

"Rito~."

The called boy follows the voice, he flinches as the pink hair girl walks toward him, so close that her curvaceous body touches him. In her hand is a small towel.

"We had dinner, so let's take a bath together~."

"…!"

Rito's mind turns blank as Lala's word slowly cross his. Like a trigger to an unconditioned reflex, the orange hair boy backs away, waving his hand and his face turns red.

"No no, we can't do that !"

"Eh~ ? Why can't we ?"

Rito turns his "asking for help" looks to the brown hair brother who is lying on the sofa in the living room, Rito turns blue as Ito covers his own face with the novel he's reading and quietly shakes his head to decline.

….I don't want to get involve in this, try your best to escape, Rito….

Rito doesn't aware that his brother, too, is also slightly paled when Lala said that.

Staring at the helpless, struck dumb look of the boy, Mikan sighs.

"That's impossible for him, Lala-san. Rito doesn't have that much courage to do that."

"Then let's take a bath together, Mikan."-Lala turns her green emerald eyes to the little sister, smiling.

"Huh ? Me ?"

The pink hair girl goes behind Mikan and gently pushes the girl shoulder to go out the kitchen with her.

"I always had a lot of maids with me when I took a shower, so I don't feel comfortable when taking a bath by myself."

"I see, that's so inconvenient."

When the two have left the room, the orange hair boy sighs in relief.

….so that's why…

The reason that Lala did not feel embarrassed while not wearing any clothe was because she had been taken care of by her maid everytime when she was still living on planet Deviluke.

…..

* * *

 **-Music 03: PianoX2 composed by Hiroyuki Sawano.**

* * *

A gust of cool wind rushes through an orange hair boy's skin, his match hair color eyes reflect a full image of a quiet night bathed in moon light. That small planet up there beyond the heaven is round and so strangely shined, the teenage boy keeps gazing at the moon like he is being attracted by the shiny aura surround it.

He is currently sitting on a wood floor outside the yard, admiring the beautiful dark sky which full of stars.

Or at least that's what he's trying to do…

"…hey."

The orange hair boy looks over his shoulder to see the source of the voice. His brother, Ito, is leaning against the glass door about one meter away from Rito.

"Nii-san."

Ito comes and sits next to his young brother, he didn't forget to close back the door.

"What are you reading ?"

"Detective novel."-He says as he puts down the book near Rito."I borrowed it from Akira."

"Is this new ?"-Rito picks it up and takes a look at the cover.

"No, it's an old book."

With that word, the conversation stops. The two boy stay silent, Ito lies down on his back and looks straight to the sky.

"I... I met Zastin when I was on my way back."

Hearing the surprised event, Ito sits up to listen to the story.

"After that….something happened…"

Something that no one could predict it…

…..a few hours ago…..

" _Oh finally, I found you Rito-dono."_

" _Zastin !"_

 _The Deviluke's military commander approached Rito, his steps were slow, his face looked tired as if he was completely exhausted. Under the dim street light, Rito could see scratches and dirts were sticking all over the skeleton-like armor of the man, there was even a big lump on his head._

" _A-are you alright ?"_

" _I was so careless…"-Zastin spoke under his breath."…I really shouldn't have underestimated this planet, when I just left my guard down for a second I had fell down the sewer, chased by a dog and a stick from out of nowhere suddenly hit my head."_

 _Rito sweat dropped at the man's unlucky circumstance._

" _But nevermind that, I'm was going to meet you Rito-dono."-the tired look on Zastin's face suddenly changed to a serious ones._

"… _?"_

" _Let's go to somewhere private, it's best that we shouldn't attract any attentions."_

 _Rito nodded, they went to a small park nearby. It was so sudden that Zastin wanted to meet him at this time, he must has something really important that he wanted to talk to him._

" _This place is good enough."-Zastin turns to the orange hair boy and brings out a device, letting it floats in mid-air about several centimeters above his palm."Rito-dono, I brought to you a direct message from king Deviluke."_

" _Lala's father ?"_

" _Yes, he's a great person who united the entire universe after the great galatic war and became it ruler."-a green sphere appeared on top of the floating device, Zastin pressed it."Well then, listen carefully."_

 _The teenage boy stared at the device, immediately when he done that, a voice echoed from it._

" _Hey, Earthling."_

 _The voice was deep and it was like the person who spoke it were really strict, in some aspects it seemed quiet scary but clearly for the listener._

" _I heard Zastin's story about you, I don't know how strong you are whether is your's abilities or strength, but I temporary accept you as Lala's guardian."_

 _While Zastin and the boy are listening, a puppy from nowhere launched himself into Zastin and bit him causing the alien to panic slightly when he didn't react in time._

" _Eh ? What the, let go."-he swing his leg many times but the small dog still bit the armor part of his leg and never let go._

" _I heard you Earthlings are weak, but then again you're the first person Lala has ever favored and trusted when she came to that isolated planet. I hope you will try your best to protect Lala."_

 _Zastin stumbled over his feet and fell down made the device floating on his palm fell down as well, Rito quickly caught it._

" _And there's one more thing I want to tell you."_

"… _.."_

" _Right now the entire galaxy is still unaware of your existence, Lala's guardian. However, the rumor will spread slowly to every corners of it, sooner or later the future husband candidates will come to fine you and take Lala away. That's why you should protect Lala until she can find the person whom she can marry with !"-the boy stood up, still kept the device balanced in his hand, a long sigh could be heard from the green sphere and continued."But you better be remembered this, if Lala be taken away or anything happens to her and you fail my expectations, I will crush you along with that planet of yours."_

 _Rito's eyes widen, his face was completely white. He felt like his body just frozen when he heard that._

" _So you better protect Lala with all you life Earthling, remember that !"_

 _The green sphere disappeared, the floating device fell down into the orange hair boy's palms. He was frozen almost like a rock, he couldn't even utter a word, a lot of emotions were confused and mixed up on his face. No one can describe what kind of expression the boy was making as all the blood on his face were no longer there, his face was totally pure white._

… _..heh ? Does that mean if I mess up…then the whole world will share the same fate with me…..?_

 _A hand put on his shoulder, Rito turned his head while still tried to process all the things he heard into his head._

" _Rito-dono, you need to aware that his highness is very serious about this matter."-Zastin placed a hand on his chin, ignored the puppy which still bit his leg."There was once a man who behaved impolitely in front of him, after successfully angering his highness, he was obliterated along with his planet."_

"… _.t….t-then…"_

" _That's right, if you don't live up to his highness's expectations….."-Rito tried to take a deep breath to calm down but the next word of the Deviluke's military commander has made the boy turning all white from head to toe._

"… _..the Earth will be erased from the solar system."_

…

Ito puts on a blank face or expressionless to be more precisely when he heard the story from his brother. Taking a brief glance at Rito's eyes, he sighs.

"You were worried about this the whole time ?"-Ito gently pats the teenage boy's head."Don't think too much about it, you'll be stressed. No matter how serious or strict a person can be who would destroy the entire planet of the person that his daughter trusts."

"…I….know…"-Rito looks up the dark sky, a thin smile appears on his face."…but when you give some thought about it, Lala's father really cares about her."

Even if it's just a small briefing, the orange hair boy could see that the king of Deviluke is really care about his own daughter. This isn't some vague thought, it's simply just a feeling from the boy when he listened to each words that came from the person who has organized the future husband meeting for Lala.

Hearing it might sounds strange, but that is what exactly the twin are thinking.

"Well, I do feel a little creepy when you told me about him. But after all, a father always cares about his beloved daughter."

Rito nods, after the talk with his brother all the worry and conflict inside him has gone like it were never there from the beginning in his mind.

Although the Earth might be standing on the verge of destruction, this trouble will never sway his decision…

"….wait….but what would happen if Lala's father knows that she is a little "carefree" while living here ?"

"…ah…"

He really, really hopes so…

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of chapter 6.**

 **An unexpected out come of the decision that the orange hair boy chose and the appearance of the first villian.** **  
**

 **So what do you think about the piano song ? Does it fit the mood ?**

 **I felt like this chapter was added some slice of life factors when I wrote it, it might not turned out as planned but I hope I made it ok.**

 **And...that's everything for now, it seems like Rito has a habit of admiring the stars at night. Thank you and have a good day.**


	7. Chapter 7: Identity-Threat

**Chapter 7 is here, enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7** **:** **~Identity_Threat~**

Standing at the side of a track field, a girl raises her hand up high which holding a small sport gun.

"Ready…go !"

Bang !

A loud noise burst out from the gun signaling a pink hair girl who makes a ready stance on the track to run. Right after the signal was heard, Lala runs with an unreal speed which surprises her classmate when she got to the finish line.

Looking back at the clock in hand the girl was stunned at the result appeared on a tiny screen.

"1….100 meters in 10…10.9 seconds."-everyone gasp, there's no way a human could run so fast like that.

"No way ! You measured it wrong, didn't you ?"

"I…I think so, is has to be."

"Lala-sama, I think you need to hold back your strength a little more."-Peke whispers.

Since no one in Lala's class knows her real identity except for Ito and that orange hair boy, doing this might get more troubles to her, and especially to that boy. So it's necessary for the girl to not to use too much of her alien strength.

Lala knew that but restraining her strength won't give much enjoyment to her, after all P.E class is so fun.

"Mu~~."-Lala lets out a sigh as she is disappointed a little.

And as the girls are still debating the clock timing, a girl with short brown hair comments while looking back at her classmate.

"Hey, isn't Lala-chii absolutely terrific ? The measure could be wrong, right Haruna ?"

"…."-Sairenji doesn't respond to the girl's question.

"Haruna ?"

The girl eyes keep looking to the direction where the boys are playing football match on the far side of the field, the orange hair boy could also be seen sitting on a side while watching it. A faint blush appears on Sairenji's cheek, somehow she feels relax just by seeing him. But in the next seconds her blush becomes wider when a hand suddenly grabs her chest.

"Hyaa !"

"Haruna-chan, where are you looking at~~?"-the brown hair girl teases.

"You zoning out a lot lately you know, Haruna~."-another girl with two pig tails joins in.

"Wh- what are you talking about ?"-Sairenji quickly raises both hands covering her upper body in embarrassment.

"You keep watching the boys over there for some reason, are you in love or something ?"

"Oh, I know !"- the two pig tails girl said."It's Sasuga-sensei isn't it ? He's really hot and handsome~."

"N-no, it's not like that !"

…..

A moment later the school bell ring as today P.E class is coming to an end.

"Alright, that's it for today."- Sasuga says as he stands in front of the girls.

But instead of returning to the changing room, all the girls gather around him like he's a magnetic. Most of them try to invite him out for lunch.

"Sasuga-sensei, let's eat lunch together."

"Come eat with us, sensei. Don't be sneaky."

Hearing that, the boys are totally not amused since all the girls are only attracted to their P.E teachers.

"Not again."

"Come on Sasuga-sensei, don't keep attracting all the girls around you !"

Sasuga smiles, this was just an everyday situation to "him". He doesn't surprise much.

"Haha, sorry girls."-the guy takes a glance at the pink hair girl."I have some important things to take care of today. Beside, you still have one more subject to study before lunch right ?"

"Eh~~?"-some of the girls sighs as their offer are rejected.

Sasuga then walks away from the students. However, unknown to them, an evil grin appears on their teacher's face.

After spending the whole P.E session to observe the princess of Deviluke, the faked Sasuga has come up with a plan, a plan that will makes Lala become his bride with no effort. Soon, he will put it into action.

But there was still an obstacle in this plan that he made. Before he came to this isolated planet, he heard a rumor that was still slowly spread through the whole galaxy by the king of Deviluke. It was said that a mysterious individual has become the princess guardian in this place, until one of the candidates can beat him, Lala will still be under his protection.

What surprised him most was the king last sentence.

" _ **If none of the candidates couldn't beat him, Lala will have the freedom to choose her future husband while living on a planet called Earth."**_

The faked Sasuga grits his teeth slightly.

….just who is this guardian the king was talking about ?

From the information he has gathered, or to be precisely…tried his best to gather, there were absolutely nothing about this "guardian", no name, no appearance.

The king refused to reveal his name and saw it as a trail for the candidates. Therefore, spending time watching Lala and those who close to her would be an easy way to find out this person.

But up to this point, the faked Sasuga still has no idea who is it.

….hm, doesn't matter then…

Sasuga looks over his shoulder, eyeing the blue hair girl who is standing beside Lala.

…you will eventually be mine, my dear Lala…..

The faked Sasuga grinning evilly and walks into the school building, it's doesn't matter if he can't find Lala's guardian, Sasuga will make this plan works and take Lala away from this planet before the guardian knows.

…..but wait…..

If he does that, it would be too easy. Perhaps, he should find the guardian and make him lose first, it would be more satisfying this way.

…that's right, maybe I should do that since he dared to keep Lala away from my hand.

His evil grin gets wider as the thought of winning the guardian moves to his head. But he doesn't know, at that exact moment his expression has been seen by an orange hair boy from a far distance.

…..

"Rito, is something on your mind ?"

"….?"- the boy in questioned look at his friend, Saruyama."What do you mean ?"

"You just look out the window while sensei is explaining the lesson, is it about Haruna-chan ?"-he smirks.

"No, it was…..why are you bringing up Sairenji ?"

"Oh, you not thinking about Haruna-chan ?"

Rito stares at Saruyama, not really understand the meaning of that question.

"Ok never mind, so what are you thinking?"

"I've been thinking about what Sasuga-sensei said before class dismissed."-Saruyama raises an eyebrow, this time is his turned to wonder what the orange hair boy is saying.

"Is there something wrong with what he said, I don't remember."

"You do know that Sasuga-sensei is popular with the girls in our school, right ?"

"Well, Sasuga-sensei is good at sport, handsome and really cares for his student in the tennis club which makes guys like me really jealous."-Saruyama mutters.

"…a…ahaha…"-Rito sweat drops at the last part."That's right, but the fact that he's a person who would respects everyone that makes me felt something weird about him today."

"Weird ?"

Saruyama stares at the ceiling thinking back to the P.E period, during that time he didn't pay much attention to Sasuga so it was hard to tell the difference.

"I still don't get it."

"…you did hear-"

"Hey, pass these papers to others please."-a student gives Rito a stack of papers which interrupting his speech.

"Now everyone, please begin to dissect your frogs and remember to follow each step carefully."-the teacher who stands near the board said.

Both Rito and Saruyama stare at the frog lying on a small tablet in front of them. Right now they are in biology class and sitting right next to each other, Saruyama decided to join group with Rito since today assignment is to dissect a frog and examine its organ. To him it was not an easy work and he was not clever enough to do this kind of stuff, good thing for him that Rito volunteered to do this so Saruyama didn't have to worry about it.

However, on the outside it seems like that.

"Rito, what is "dissect" ?"- a pink hair girl who is sitting on the other side of the orange hair boy asks.

Truthfully, Saruyama's real motive is to sit near the beautiful transfer student. Before the whole class came to this room, the boys had raced to the seat near her as fast as possible, thus, Saruyama is the winner. And about the fact that why is Rito sat next to Lala was because she always walks near him so there was only one spot to take.

Of course, the orange hair boy didn't know anything about this.

"Dissect means you need to open the frog's stomach with this scalpel."-the boy shows a small silver knife to Lala.

"Why ?"

"To find out more about frogs, I think."

"Find out more about it ?"-considering Lala is a princess of a whole planet and being kept at home for safety, there's nothing to surprise with the fact that she didn't know it."Then what about Rito ?"

"….huh ? What about me ?"

"I want to know more about Rito rather than frogs."-Lala picks up the tweezers and smiles innocently."So I want to dissect Rito~."

The orange hair boy pales a little.

"…uh…Lala..wait, I t-think you mistaken the concept of dissect here."

"Hm ? Didn't you say we dissect the frogs to know more about it."

"Yes, but-"

"Then there's nothing wrong with dissecting Rito."-Lala leans forward slightly.

"Ho-hold on, we were talking about dissecting the frog right ? So let's concentrate on the assignment, ok ?"

"No, I want to dissect Rito."

Rito slowly stands up from his chair and takes a few steps back until his back faces the cabinet, his forehead is covered in sweat.

"Wait~."-still smiling innocently, Lala points the tweezers at Rito stomach and moves close to him.

Suddenly, a person runs pass Lala and stands in front of her.

"Hold up, Lala-chan !"-Saruyama says as he stands in front of the pink hair girl.

….I can't let Lala-chan talks with Rito all the time, now it's my time to make a good impression.

Although he thought that, Saruyama was quite jealous and so did the other boys. Ever since she transferred here, Lala always look at that orange hair boy rather than them.

That's why this time, they will seize the chance to get close to her if they ever see one.

"Lala-chan, if you're ok with me, I'll be happy to let you dissect me anytime."

Rito sweat drops at the word and that cool expression on Saruyama face.

"..um…ok~~!"

Immediately, Saruyama screams on top of his lung as Lala squeezes his stomach hard by a tweezers in hand.

Seeing this, Rito pales even more while Saruyama clinches to his stomach feeling both hurt and happy.

…..

As everyone in the class are amused by the comical situation of their classmate. Outside the corridor, the faked Sasuga is peeking through a small window on the door.

….Lala is smiling happily with that kid ?! Who is he ?! I'll never forgive him !

Sasuga narrows his eyes which slowly taking a round shape and has yellow color in it iris, his skin is green all over. Upon looking, his also has big pointy ears that have two endpoints and a pointed teeth, thus making his appearance is somewhat scary.

He is now look at the orange hair boy with full of envy and jealousy.

…..flirting in a place like this…wait…

Sasuga thinks. Based on his observation, up till now out of all the people who had interacted with the princess of Deviluke, only that boy is the one Lala been around most.

A realization strikes Sasuga, his mouth which full of pointed teeth forms a wicked smile.

…..I see, so that Earthling is Lala's guardian.

He has found him, the mysterious guardian of the princess of Deviluke is nothing but a mere brat and a weak human. The faked Sasuga takes a brief glance at the short blue hair girl who still watching the chasing between the orange hair boy and Lala.

…..this is perfect, now I just have to make my plan work so that bastard will kneel before me and I can take Lala away from this isolated planet.

Before leaving, the alien takes a one last look at the guardian but suddenly panic spreads all over his face as the orange hair boy a.k.a the guardian is looking directly at him.

…..he see me !?

Sasuga quickly spins around and runs fast down the hallway without looking back, fearing the guardian could have seen his real face. As he is running in hurry his feet collides on each other, therefore the faked Sasuga falls forward and hits his face on the ground, rolling into the dark corner under a stair in a funny way.

Then slowly, a thin smoke leaks out from the alien body and his skin starts to change shape…

….

Right now, the teenage boy named Rito are facing with a crisis.

"Rito~, Rito~, where are you~?"

Lunch break had started a few minutes ago but at the moments the boy is not out of the wood yet.

"Rito, let me dissect you~."

The cute voice of the pink hair girl can be heard throughout the corridor, but the fact that the girl was holding a small knife in hand would makes the atmosphere become quite scary. Lala doesn't mean to harm anything she just wants to know more about her guardian.

But the way she does that is not quite right with the concept of "getting to know more" which makes the poor boy is currently hiding in a corner under a staircase.

Right at the moment when the school bell rang, Rito dashed out of biology class and ran all the way down to the hall like a prey tried it best to escape from a predator. Despite the effort in escaping, the orange hair boy is still in crisis as the princess of Deviluke is standing right in front of the stair looking for him, not knowing he is right behind the stair gaps.

"Rito~, where did you go ?"-Lala looks around for a moment then her eyes shifts back to the empty space next to the stair and walks to it."Are you in here ?"

…Huh ?! No no ! Not here, not here !

Rito sweats as Lala's shadow appears on the ground next to him meant that she is very, very close to him now. The boy lifts up his feet to try to make another escape but a light reflect from a small sliver knife to his eye, Rito face turns blue as he can see his image clearly on its surface.

Lala slowly bows her head down to look at the remaining empty space behind the stairs, suddenly a couple of voices call out to her.

"Lala-chan, please have lunch with me !"

"Can I have your phone number !?"

"Forget that Yuuki and come eat with us !"

"Eh ? Eh?"-the princess is surprised and a little confused at the sudden offer of the boy in class.

Seeing the chance, Rito quietly steps out and sneaks away.

Meanwhile, back at the class Saruyama and the orange hair boy's brother are having a normal regular lunch like every day…well, not exactly like every day since there is one person still missing.

"To be honest, I'm really jealous."-Saruyama speaks as he puts down his drink.

"…..?"

"That Rito, how can he lead Lala away from the class like that ?! Not to mention he'll be dissected by her."

"….your point is..?"

"I want Lala to dissect me !"-Saruyama raises his hand high and shouts with proud."But then again Lala only interests in him right now, and why the heck is that ?!"

Ito rolls his eyes, Saruyama picks up the drink again but stops halfway as he remembers something.

"Oh right, back at the biology class he said something is strange with Sasuga-sensei today."

"I heard it, what else did Rito said ?"-Ito nods and keeps eating.

"He's been thinking about what Sasuga-sensei said before class dismissed."-Saruyama folds his arm and looks up the ceiling."I might missed it but I don't think I heard anything weird, do you ?"

Ito takes a notebook out from his pocket and places it on the table, there's also a pencil as small as a middle finger is kept inside it.

"Do you still remember what Sasuga-sensei said before P.E class end ?"

"Of course, he said something like this…."- Saruyama takes the pencil and writes down.

 **[** Sorry girls, I have some important things to take care of today. **]**

"Yup…do you see the different ?"

"No."-Saruyama replies without hesitation.

"Then how about this ?"-Ito writes down another sentence.

 **[** Sorry everyone, I have some important things to take care of today. **]**

"This is what Sasuga-sensei usually said when the girls asked him out for lunch."

Saruyama takes a good look between two sentences, thinking. He closes his eyes in full concentration.

Ito goes back to finish his bento while waiting. After a couple of minutes, Saruyama opens his eyes slowly looking at the light brown hair boy. The cool look on Saruyama's face shows that he is serious, an answer has come to him.

"…I think…"

"…."

"Ehehe, I think I give up."-he scratches his head and smiles idiotically.

Ito face hits the table due to the idiot's respond, good thing he already finished his bento and put it away before doing that.

"Fine, I'll show you."-putting the notebook in front of Saruyama, Ito circles a word of each sentences."Anyway, you don't have to make that cool face to answer somebody question, you know."

"Hehe. Sorry."

"See these words ?"

 **[** Sorry **girls** , I have some important things to take care of today. **]**

 **[** Sorry **everyone** , I have some important things to take care of today. **]**

"Yeah I see it, is something wrong with it ?"

"Sasuga-sensei always uses the word [everyone] instead of saying straight the word [girls]."

"It's just a way of addressing."

"True, it's just a way of addressing people but from what I remember, he never used this word until today."-the brown hair boy points at the word [girls].

Saruyama doesn't convince at the deduction, it could be true that Sasuga of today is not as the same as he knows but the addressing could be changed depending on a person mood. What if something has happened to Sasuga and makes him change his speech ?

Either way, this is not enough to prove that Sasuga is acting strange based on what his friend said.

"I don't think it's weird to change the addressing, maybe Sasuga-sensei is not in a good mood today."

"He might not be."-the boy says as he leans back."Saruyama, remember the football match in this morning ?"

"..uhm.."-Saruyama nods.

"Then let me ask you this."-Ito closes the notebook and puts back to his pocket along with the pencil."What was Sasuga-sensei doing at that time ?"

Memories of the football match in the last P.E period reappears in Saruyama head, he remembered Sasuga was standing at a side of the field, observing the whole class and nothing more. He didn't understand why his light brown hair friend asked that, was Sasuga did something at that time ?

Saruyama can't tell.

"Didn't he just stood aside and watched us playing, I mean that's what he usually does as a teacher, right ?"-the boy in questioned waving his hand slightly to show his point of view."I still don't get why you and Rito think he's weird."

"But beside from watching us play, had he done anything else ?"

"No….hm ?"-Saruyama answers, but then he noticed something with this answer of his."Nothing…he just stood there and watched."

"Exactly."

During the P.E session, Sasuga didn't do anything besides from observing every student in his sight as if he was looking for something or someone, he changed the exercise like normal but didn't give out any instructions. What's more, he didn't didn't even show a slightest surprise when Lala just broke the world record in 100 meters running test. This strange behavior has been caught by the orange hair boy and his brother, thus makes that two persons know something is not right with their P.E teacher, not to mention that grin on his face when he walked back to the school building.

Ito has put some thought into this, of all the possibility he could think of. There is only one possible reason that could make sense in this situation.

…..one of the candidates has arrived on Earth and is seeking for Lala.

"Another trouble, huh ?"-Ito sighs."I hope this won't be a hard time for him."

Saruyama raises an eyebrow at his friend. All of the sudden, the door class opened, revealing a short man with bald head, the man walks in and looks around until his eyes which wore a round black glass stop at the blue hair girl, Sairenji Haruna, who is still talking to her close friend.

"You."-he raises his voice.

Everyone stops what they are doing and looks at the man.

"Oh, it's the school headmaster."

"What is he doing here ?"

The student in class start to murmur to each other, not knowing the reason why the principal comes here.

"Hey you."-the principal calls out to Sairenji again.

"Uh, yes ?"-she looks at the short man.

"I have something to ask you, please come with me."

Sairenji eyes widen as she is surprised at the principal demand. The blue hair girl puts a finger on her soft lip and looks at the bento box she hasn't finish yet, not knowing what to do.

"Leave it and come with me."-the man called headmaster says as he see the girl's still hesitating, without any more patient he grimaces."This is an order."

The principal dark tone bring up a slight fear in Sairenji, her hands tremble but as a student she can't refuse a teacher's order so she stands up and walks out of class, waiting for him to lead the way.

Before the short man leaving, he looks around class once more time and asks.

"By the way, where is Lala-chan ?"

Ito raises an eyebrow at this question and decides to keep silent, leaving this to one of his classmates to answer him.

"She's chasing Rito right now."-a male student replies.

"I see."-a grin forms on the headmaster face."Please tell the guar- I mean him that I have taken Sairenji-kun with me."

"Uh…okay.."

Receiving a satisfied answer, the short man walks out and leads Sairenji away.

"..um..where are we going ?"-Sairenji asks him, a hint of worry exist in her voice.

"To where the gym equipment is stored, of course."-the principal says like it nothing.

"What are we going to do there ?"

His face darken as his patience has run out.

"It's doesn't matter, just come !"

Sairenji can't say anything as fear and worriedness keep growing inside her, she bows her head, looks at the ground and keeps walking with the short man.

She has no idea what kind of horrible things will happen to her.

…..

"What was that all about, that headmaster gave me a bad vibe."-Saruyama comments as he recalls the creepy expression the short man put on back then.

After the two of them left, the students get back to their regular chatting and eating in lunchtime. Saruyama takes a quick sip of his drink then looks at the light brown hair boy, who just put back his cellphone to his pocket.

"Did you text Rito ?"

"Yeah, he'll be back soon."

Immediately after that sentence, several footsteps echo outside the door. It's opened which revealing an orange hair boy, the expression on the boy face could be described as serious and worried.

"Yuuki, the headmaster told me to tell you that he took Sairenji to the gym equipment room."-a student says.

The boy eyes widen at the information, he looks back to his brother and Saruyama. Knowing the confusion in Rito eyes, Ito stands up from his seat and walks out with Saruyama. The trio move fast toward the end of the corridor so no one would hear their discussion.

"Not just Sasuga-sensei, but the principal too ?"-Rito is out of the blue after the explanation.

"They both acting weird today, guess that double the trouble now."

Both brother sigh as the situations are getting more complicated. Saruyama stares at them with a blank face, he still doesn't fully understand about the current situation, from what he can see these two are likely to exaggerate the circumstances.

However, as things just got weird as they said, he starts to wonder why they are thinking about this so much.

Did something happened to his friend that he didn't know ?...or…

"Say…are you guys know something that I don't ?"

Both boy flinch at the sudden question.

"Heh ?"

"Don't "heh" me, you know something, don't you ?"-Saruyama asks again with his suspicion growing.

Hesitating to give Saruyama an answer, Rito looks back at his brother, he doesn't know what to explain at this point. Saruyama and everyone in class are still clueless about Lala's real identity, and this whole thing about Sasuga and the principal acting strange could also a trouble caused by one of the candidates.

But what important and the most troublesome now is how can they say to him that Lala is an alien and Rito is currently her protector.

Knowing the orange hair boy's nature, he might not even believe the beginning of the story. Someone as naïve as Rito could never being near a girl for 24/7, not to mention he often shy at the girl's topic.

To sum it up, the whole protecting thing does not suit him at all.

But even so…

Saruyama might be able to understand….

Since he, too, also knew about the "events" that Rito has gone through.

"It's fine…..tell him."-giving a light shrug, Ito motions his eye from Rito to Saruyama.

"…..?"

"Saruyama….the fact is-"

"Rito~. "

A cheerful voice echoes through the hall which startles the orange hair boy, realizing whose voice is it Saruyama spins a 180 degree and runs toward the source with full of excitement, completely ignore and forget what the boy is about to say.

"Lala-chan, please dissert me again~ !"-Saruyama says out loud as he runs to the pink hair girl, causing the two brothers to sweat drop.

Not wasting any more time, Rito turns around ready to go save his classmate but before he even places one step forward, his brother grabs his hand and pulls him close.

"Wait, before you go to the gym equipment, check the principal room first, we need to make sure that only one of Lala candidates is behind this."

"But Sairenji is-"

"He won't hurt her, not until he meets you face to face."-Ito releases the boy's hand."If he does, he won't need to send the message to you, it's seem like this candidate might want to beat you first so he could take Lala away."

"And he does that by using Sairenji as a hostage…."

"AAAHhhhhhhh !"-again, Saruyama screams on top of his lung as Lala squeezes his belly.

The orange hair boy quickly hides behind the hallway corner when Lala's eyes direct toward him.

"I'll buy you some time, now go."

"Thanks, nii-san."-Rito nods and heads to the told location right away.

…

Standing in front of the gym equipment door, Sairenji starts to feel more nervous while watching [the principal] opens the door.

"..um…..what are we going to do in there ?"

"Well, nothing in particular, I just need you to do me a favor."-he replies.

Sairenji's hold up her trembling hands to her chest, fearful for what comes next.

"Go to sleep."

"Eh ?"

A thin smoke appears around Sairenji and she falls to the principal hand, unconscious.

With the hostage in hand [the principal] puts on an evil smile, now all that left is to wait for the guardian and makes him lose.

…and then, I will marry Lala.

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's the end of chapter 7. Wow, I updated this chapter a lot sooner than I thought.**

 **This arc almost reaches its climax now.**

 **Ghi Bree has put his plan into action, Sairenji has fall into his hand.**

 **Lala's freedom is slowly slips away from her grasp without her realizes it.**

 **The first encounter between Rito and the candidate.**

 **The next chapter will be the conclusion for this arc.**

 **Well, I can be sure that the next update will be a little longer than this one.**

 **And...that's everything for now** **. Thank you and have a good day.  
**


	8. Chapter 8: Outer Space-Real Form

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8** **: ~Outer space_Real form~**

Sprinting through the long corridor, the orange hair boy didn't even slow down a step to breath as the thought of his classmate, Sairenji, could be harmed if he wasted even a second. Right now, he needs to check the principal office, see if there any hints that can help him know more about this strange behavior of the school headmaster and Sasuga-sensei.

Rito stops as he reaches the office door, he walks in and closes it carefully.

The orange hair boy starts to examine every single stuff in the office, seeing into every gaps between closets, hoping he could find a clue that help him gain more info of this "person" who has taken Sairenji.

So far, nothing suspicious in the cabinet and closet which contained only books and syllabus. The gaps under the closets also have nothing except of dirt.

Rito takes a book out of the closet and reads it but stop after surfing a few pages.

…..hm, I don't think this relevant to alien.

The boy glances around one more, the only thing he hasn't examined is the principal brown desk. The orange hair boy puts the book back and walks to it.

As he moves close his feet steps on something which makes a weird sound. It's liked a sound when you hit the water surface hard, but the different here is that the next sound of water being scattered around doesn't emit.

Noticing the weird sound, the orange hair boy looks down at his feet, a liquid like substance is sticking to the floor. Rito bends down, using his finger to touch the green color substance, the liquid was slippery and it track made a line from where the boy stood to behind the brown desk.

Rito quickly goes to the desk to check the source of this green, slippery substance. The orange hair boy is stunned at the sight.

Two bodies are lying under the big gap of the brown desk and are tied together with a rope.

….

"Eh~, Rito is busy with something at this time ?"-a pink hair girl says as she's disappointed.

"Yeah, something like that, besides…"-the brown hair boy points at the tweezers in the girl's hand."…..holding that thing will only makes him backs away if he see you."

"But I want to dissect Rito."

"Don't worry, he'll be back soon. But Lala, there are still many ways for you to know more about a person, you don't have to dissect to understand them."

Ito tries to change the subject since Lala is so persistent in finding his younger brother which making it more difficult for him to buy more time for the boy. Moreover, Lala wants to know more about her guardian by dissecting him.

If Ito uses this chance to explain to her, it would be a total win-win to him. Explaining the idea of "wanting to know more" about a person to the princess will not only buys more time but also helps his brother to be safe from the whole dissecting thing, and Lala can use a more appropriate way to understand the boy.

A total win-win situation that benefit everyone.

"Really~?"

"But Ito-dono, where could Rito-dono possibly goes when he is Lala-sama guardian. Isn't he suppose to protect her ?"-Peke the hairclip asks with honesty.

The brown hair boy flinches as Peke's question strikes right at the main point which he tries to avoid.

"Like I said Peke, don't worry about him, Rito is doing his job as her guardian right now."-the boy calmly says."You just need to wait for him."

"If you say so."-Lala simply replies.

Ito nods his head and smiles at the reply, Lala is no longer persistent in finding his brother. Therefore, all he needs to do now is buying more time by explainning to Lala how to gain more knowledge of a person beside the out of concept word "dissecting".

Before he starts, a ring ton echoes in his pocket, it's was his phone that ring. He takes the phone out and tells Lala to wait for him for a minute.

A message was sent by Rito, the brown hair boy narrows his eye at the concept of it.

[Nii-san, the principal and Sasuga-sensei is lying unconscious under the desk gap. No doubt about it, this is definitely one of Lala candidates doing, I'm heading to the gym equipment now !]

…..so the culprit is one of the candidates, changed of plan…..

"Lala, I need to tell…."

Ito turns to the girl as he puts back his phone, intent to inform her about the candidate arrival on Earth. However, he couldn't never finish his sentence as the pink hair girl is no longer there, she was probably went to somewhere by the time the boy was still busy with the message.

Ito mouth is wide open, eye brown twitching since he has underestimated the girl stubbornness.

….not good….

The brown hair boy would run after the girl to stop her from seeing Rito because meeting the boy could also means meeting with the candidate.

He could have run after her to avoid that scene from happening, but he couldn't ignore the principal and Sasuga-sensei lying unconscious either.

Scratching his head in silence, Ito turns around and makes a fast run to the office. One thought resides in his head.

…..well, only one more trouble left….keep Lala safe, Rito….

After all, Lala safety is Rito's responsibility, Ito could leave for his brother to handle this.

It's not because he doesn't care about protecting the princess, he left the girl to his brother because he knew why the orange hair boy chose to be a guardian….

And he knew that boy too would make sure Lala and people around him to be safe so the statement he declared on that night a few days ago will never be wasted.

…

The alien taps his foot, patiently waiting for the guardian to show up. A few minutes has passed since he has taken hostage to the gym, the blue hair girl.

Right now the candidate is still keep his wicked smile as if victory has already belong to him. He then look at Sairenji who was hanging on the floor by several tentacles, having lost conscious from the thin smoke that the alien was prepared.

Small breath slightly escape from her lip, her body was hang about 15cm in the air. Five tentacles which appeared on the gym ceiling grabbed her hands and her upper body.

The candidate takes a brief glance at Sairenji. Overlooking, her face was quite cute and her appearance doesn't look bad either. In fact, that small fragile body truly suited her, thus makes Sairenji become quite a beauty.

With that thought, the candidate grinning, drool slowly drops from his mouth.

…fufu, now that I think about it, she's just as good as Lala.

As he decided to take a closer look at her, He raises up his hand which holding a switch. Just when his finger lies on top of the switch, the door burst opened by a strong force cause the alien face to wince as light from outside the door shines in every dark corners of the gym equipment.

For a few seconds, the light slowly faded away reveals a figure walking into the gym. The candidate looks at the figure, he can recognize its orange hair feature.

"So, you came."-the alien speaks with irritated tone."You're pretty fast, aren't you…Yuuki Rito ?"

The guardian, Yuuki Rito has arrived.

….

"…muu~, I wonder where did Rito went to ?"

Standing on top of the school water tower, Lala places one hand above her eyes to cover it from the shining sunlight while looking for the orange hair boy.

"Lala-sama, let's just leave him alone."-Peke sighs."He was supposed to be right beside you to protect you from any threats instead of running away like that."

The robot now in a form of a hair-pin thinks back to when the orange hair boy was chased by a group of boys around the school because of Lala sudden visited, back to when the Earthling boy reacted to Lala feeling on that night.

Instead of falling in love with Lala's beauty like others Earthling male, not even once did Rito paid attention or admired the princess of Deviluke.

Peke did not understand why the boy was unaffected with the princess's beauty which she inherited from her mother, the most beautiful "flower" in the galaxy.

Up to now, that orange hair boy is quite a mystery….

"And I can't understand why he didn't fall in love with you, Lala-sama."

"We only met not long ago, I think we just need to know each other better."-Lala replies.

"Huh ?"

"If we get to know each other, I'll bet him and I turn out to be good for each other. "

"But Lala-sama, he was your guardian, he also rejected you once."

"It doesn't matter, I like him and that's that."-the pink hair girl takes out her phone and press several buttons."Either way, I'm going to dissect him."

The phone screen emits a strong light then faded away as another invention of Lala appears. It has a form like a puppy, a Deviluke emblem could be seen on the puppy's back.

The robot-liked puppy stands up on it four legs then sniffs around and looks at it creator.

"Sniff Sniff Trace-kun, look for the person with this scent."-Lala sits in front of it and shows it a school winter uniform.

"Lala-sama, it's that Rito-dono shirt ?"

"Yup, I borrowed it for you to copy the design."

"I….see…"-Peke sweat drops.

….Lala-sama hasn't return it to him…..

After sniffing the uniform, the robot-liked puppy runs down stair, follows the scent that his nose received.

"Oh, now that I think about it, when Zastin ran away in the palace, you used this to find him every time."

"Eh, really~ ? I don't remember."-Lala says as she runs after her invention.

"He was always the victim of Lala-sama's pran…I mean new inventions."

"Well, that's true~."

The puppy turns around the corner as it was just detected something. Eventually, a door was opened and he prints right into it.

Thinking the robot has found the boy, Lala smiles happily and looks in. In the next second when the scene was insight, Lala feels like an idiot.

In front of her was the girl changing room…..

"You smell good-desu."-the puppy speaks in monotone voice.

"Ahh, be serious and look for him !"

All the girls in that room were surprised when the puppy suddenly jumped at them.

At the nurse's office near there, a brown hair boy is taking a deep breath after lifting the principal on to the bed.

…phew, the principal is heavier than he look, good thing the nurse's office is near or else my back would be in dilemma.

Then several girly screams echo through the hallway cause the boy to sweat drop and rolls his eyes at the direction the screams could be heard in question.

Ito walks toward the door in attempt to go find Rito and Lala but a sudden thought stops him.

…..oh, I have to put a blanket on them.

When he carried the principal and his P.E teacher, their skin was cold like both of them had lied unconscious in the office for a whole night. Ito also touch their forehead to check their body temperature in case they caught cold. Fortunately, none of the two teachers got sick.

After putting a blanket on the principal, Ito goes to the door but before he could reach it, someone from the outside opens it. In a few seconds, he thought the person is the school doctor, Mikado-sensei, but as the door is fully opened he see a woman and a child walks in together, the child is holding a candy in hand.

The woman bows and speaks in a polite manner.

"Pardon, are you the princess's guardian ?"

"…..?"

The brown hair boy is slightly surprised at the sudden question and before he could respond, a thin smoke appears covering the woman and her child, and they both sunk when it faded away.

"…..you're….?"

….

"You should have taken your time, I was about to be in the middle of a fun here."

"You are one of the candidates, am I right ?"-Rito asks as he gazes at the disguised alien.

The alien smirks, he didn't answer the boy's question. Unexpectedly, his body changes shape back to his original form, from a ground physical form of the principal, the alien grows taller and thinner, his skin changes color to green, a long tongue sticks out from the alien mouth licking it sharp finger nail.

The orange hair boy stares in surprised and caution, he clenches his right fist which covered in bandage preparing for what comes next.

After the transformation, the alien stands tall, comparing to Rito, the outsider in front of him is taller than him twice.

"You….."- the boy speaks to a halt.

Noticing the Earthling is hesitating, the alien put on a wide grin, thinking the boy is shaking with fear right after seeing his appearance.

"Are you afraid of me, Earthling ?"

He predicted the boy would scream and run away like any human would if they see a monster liked him. Now watching the boy expression, he feels like victory is in his grab….or so he thought.

"You're the one who peeked outside the room back then !"-Rito recalls to when he saw that alien's face outside classroom, he would had many opportunity to check out only if Lala hadn't chased him with a scalpel in hand.

The candidate was slightly stunned at the word the boy just spoke, a moment ago he thought the boy would run away like a coward for good. But now, contrary to the alien's thought, the orange boy is not only become more serious but he could also see a sharp glint visible in the boy's eyes.

"So you did saw me huh, yes that was me."-the alien replies calmly."And I believe you must be wonder why an alien like me walking freely around the corridor without being seen."

"..."-the boy nods slightly, his eyes still gaze between the candidate and his unconscious classmate, Sairenji.

"My name is Ghi Bree, as you have already seen I have the ability to change my appearance or something that called mimicry."

"So it was you who tied the principal and Sasuga-sensei in the office, in order to disguise as them."

"Correct, it's took a lot of time to disguise myself in a human shape."-Ghi Bree looks straight at the boy, his mouth which full of pointy teeth grinning."And now I have what I want…..no, more than I want."

Ghi Bree's slippery hand touches Sairenji's soft cheek and slowly moves down to her neck as another sick grin appears on the alien's face.

Rito quickly steps forward intending to stop him but halt immediately as Ghi Bree points a switch at him.

"Not another step guardian, if you get too close I won't guarantee this girl will be unharmed."

"Release her, Sairenji doesn't have anything to do with this !"

"Of course she doesn't."-Ghi Bree sticks out his tongue while giving the boy a sadistic smile."I just want to use her as a hostage so I can beat you, I know you Earthling value your own race."

Rito stays silent at Ghi Bree words, right now the alien has the advantage over him so doing anything rash will put Sairenji in danger.

The orange hair boy inhales and breathes out a small amount of air to calm himself down, he then gazes at Ghi Bree.

"What exactly do you want ?"

"I want you to admit defeated by me and stop your courting on Lala, so I can marry her and become the next king of Deviluke, fshuu."-he whizzes.

Rito frowns at the alien and he continues.

"If you don't accept this term, I won't return this girl to you. Though I could take her with me and Lala as well."

Rito widen his eye at the ridiculous term. Ghi Bree is threatening the boy by all means and places him in a dilemma, the last word he spoke shows that not only he wants him to lose and takes Lala away but also Sairenji as well.

"Now what are you gonna do, Yuuki Rito ? You should know that I don't have much patience left."

The alien is looking down at Rito like he's a small ant, believing that victory is in his grab. He's giving the boy only one choice and driving him into a corner, waiting for his one and only answer that Ghi Bree expects to hear.

If he accept it…

Rito slowly moves his eyes to his classmate, Sairenji still has no clue of what is happening, the poor girl is used as a hostage and she's about to be taken to another planet or maybe another galaxy far from Earth, far from her family.

If he accept it…

Lala's freedom will be taken away and forced to marry a rotten person like Ghi Bree. And that is also mean the Earth will be obliterated from the universe.

The boy looks down at the ground.

Right at that moment, at that thought.

A piece of memory of an "event" comes back to the boy's mind…

Ghi Bree observes the boy for a few seconds and grows irritated, it seem that his patience has run out while waiting, to let the boy know that Ghi Bree press the button on top of the switch in hand. From the dark ceiling, another several tentacles surround the girl and tear off her lemon colored blazer.

"Hehehe, hurry up Earthling or I'll rip another piece of her clothe and it would be extreme, fshuu."-Ghi Bree whizzes at the orange hair boy who is still look down at the ground.

Heartbeat sound

Ghi Bree doesn't know what kind of expression the boy is making since his bang has covered most of his face when he looked down. Thinking that the boy are embarrassing at the sight, Ghi Bree pushes another attempt to hurry him.

"Now say it ! Say that you lost to me and withdraw from this guardian job of yours so I can marry Lala !"

Rito doesn't give any reaction, he keeps looking at the ground which makes the alien grows more irritated. Ghi Bree finger lies on top of the button and before he could press it, the boy speaks.

"…you….want to marry Lala that much ?"

"Huh ?"

"You using a stranger hostage and do awful things to her, do you think Lala will care about you if you do that ?"

"Kekeke, you seem to be getting the wrong idea. Lala and I are getting married, I've decided so."

[Heartbeat sound]

Even if Lala's personality is that of a child, she has the perfect humanoid shape that he wants, to put it bluntly, Lala is Ghi Bree favorite humanoid shape. If he marries her, the entire galaxy reigned by the king of Deviluke will be his and he will never let this chance slips pass him.

"And besides, I can always train her to develop a personality that I like."

[Heartbeat sound….]

"…so….you saying that…both Lala and Sairenji are like…..toys to you…"-Rito's voice now small like a whisper but still enough for Ghi Bree to hear.

"You make it sounds like I'm a bad person."-he then laughs maniacally.

Rito grips both hands tightly, he turns his face upward and stares at the alien.

Suddenly, Ghi Bree stops laughing as he can feel a weird uneasiness pervades all over him. He looks around the gym, there's nothing beside him, the guardian and the hostage so why did he get this chilling, worry feeling ?

Unable to apprehend what's wrong with the atmosphere, Ghi Bree decides to ignore it and goes on with what he was doing. However, the moment Ghi Bree looks at Rito, he jumps with his eyes widen, that orange hair boy is looking directly at him. The weird feeling in Ghi Bree guts almost reaches it maximum, Rito's eyes is so sharp and intense that the alien is completely frozen right where he stands.

For a moment, Ghi Bree feels like his body is sweating a lot, worry soon fills all over his head and his spine is chilling more than he could imagine. The alien tries to speak but no word come out as he is so stunned at the boy's expression.

"You the worst !"-Rito yells out which startles Ghi Bree making him almost trip back.

...w-what is he…..!?

Ghi Bree backs away a bit as the boy in front of him slowly steps forward, not even once his intense eyes avert from the alien.

Just when Rito is about to put another step forward, the door behind him burst open again and a pink hair girl runs in hugging the boy tightly which cause surprised to both him and Ghi Bree.

"I finally found you Rito~, why are you hiding in this place ?"-she asks him with her usual cheerful tone.

"Lala !"

"Huh ?"-Lala looks at the alien as he called out her name, she quickly recognizes him but doesn't wonder much."Ghi Bree, Why are you here…..?"

The pink hair girl then looks at the person next to him, shocking by the sight.

"Haruna !"-Lala turns to Ghi Bree and cries in angry."Ghi Bree ! What are you doing to Haruna !?"

Instead of answering the princess's question, Ghi Bree just smirks.

"Oh, I love the way you look when you're angry Lala. It's good that you came here, you're mine now."

"Ble~~, I have told you tons of times that I hate you !"-Lala sticks her tongue out then points a finger at him."And let Haruna go right away, she's a close friend of mine."

"Well I can't do that, not until I make that guardian of yours give up. And if you keep rejecting me Lala, I will make everyone experience hell with my true form !"

Ghi Bree blue tongue sticks out from his mouth and waving rapidly as if he enjoys this situation. His body shape suddenly grows bigger and bigger to the point all traces of the blood vein inside the body could be seen on his greeny skin, two large spines also grows out from Ghi Bree's back and shoulder making his appearance is even more terrified.

Both Lala and the orange hair boy's eyes widen at Ghi Bree new physical form which full of massive muscles and pointy, dangerous spines all over his upper body.

"Hahaha, now my dear Lala this will be the last time I ask you nicely, marry me and tell that guardian brat to give up, admit that he's lost."-the alien stretchs out one of his hand to show the girl a big, sharp nail."Otherwise, everyone here including yourself will experience hell."

"What ?! Are you threatening Lala-sama !?"-Peke yells at him, angry by the fact that Ghi Bree is forcing his master.

"Keke, that's right, it's easier this way."

"Ghi Bree…you…"-Lala takes out her pink phone.

Seeing Lala action, the alien knows that the princess is about to do something so he will use a trump card that he has prepared from the beginning, a trump card that will make her and the boy can never lay a hand on him, Sairenji Haruna.

"I warning you, don't even think of using any of your glorious invention."-Ghi Bree grabs hold of Sairenji with his gigantic hand."Or this girl will be-"

"No !"-Lala cries out loud, interrupting him."Haruna isn't involved in this, I hate you ! This is the reason why I don't like any of you- !"

Before Lala could finish, a hand stretches out in front of her, stopping her from saying another word.

"Rito ?"-the pink hair girl looks at her guardian.

"Keep your hand off her…now…"-the boy speaks, his voice is slightly deep.

"Huh ?"-Ghi Bree round eyes turns to Rito, still not fully understand his action.

"If you want to fight me, let Sairenji go."

"H-hey, so you really gonna fight me ? I'm warning you, right now I'm 100 times stronger than you Earthling !"

Rito keep looking directly to Ghi Bree eyes which making the alien nervous. Judging from the boy expression, it looks like he will never back down even if Lala tells him to.

"A-are you sure you want to fight me ?"-Ghi Bree stammers, a sweat slowly drips down on his greeny skin.

…..why…w-why didn't he run away ?! Why didn't he scare of me ?!-the alien thinks as he starts to feel more nervous.

The boy's intense eyes back then sure made him soaked in cold sweat. Fortunately for him, his eyes has become less tense now but something different is replacing it, it was a type of emotion that narrowed all your focus into one spot and unleashed it through action.

Rito eyes are full of determination.

"I-I'll g-give you a final warning, guardian ! Give up now or you will regret it !"

Ghi Bree shouts at the orange hair boy but his effort seems to be useless as Rito clenches his fist, completely ignore the warning.

"..uh…eh.."-Ghi Bree stammers again since the shouting has backfired on him."Then how about this ?!"

Ghi Bree transforms one more time, his body become bigger and many spines grow out from his body.

"Hahaha, how is this ! This is my super serious mode, I dare you try to fight me !"-he laughs.

…now run away already !

"…why did you transform ?"

"Huh ?!"

With this form Ghi Bree thought the boy would finally feel fear. However, on the contrary to his thought, Rito is not even wavered at the slightest and puts on a more serious expression.

"You said your last form was 100 times stronger than me so why did you transform ?"-the teenage boy narrows his eye in suspicious.

"Isn't it obvious ? I g-gave you a chance to withdraw but you just won't quit, now what will you do ? Give up or what, you should know that I'm really angry now !"

"…"

Rito falls silent at this moment, he noticed that Ghi Bree is hiding something in desperate but quickly pays no attention to that.

The boy glance briefly at Sairenji who is still unconscious, right now her safety is his priority. If Ghi Bree is to fights in that form for real, who knows what kind of destruction he could cause. He need to move the girl away from here, and…..he wishes he could do that.

"Lala, I'm going to stop him, you take Sairenji and run while he is distracted."

"Rito."The princess looks at her guardian in surprised, a fainted blush could be seen on her cheek.

"Woah ! S-s-seriously ? You still want to fight me ?!"-Ghi Bree was taken aback by the orange hair boy's word.

"That's right, I don't care if you are 100 times stronger or invincible. You did awful things to Sairenji, you even tied both Sasuga-sensei and the principal to disguise as them."-Rito's right foot steps forward for a few centimeters then stops, he raises both hands up, taking a battle stance."I'll never let a person like you marry Lala."

….He is going to fight me !

"That's it ! I'll go into my super-super-serious mode and make you scream for your life !"-Ghi Bree roars and transforms to another bigger form, he becomes so big that all the spines behind his back touch the gym equipment ceiling.

Before the alien could turn his face up to look at the orange hair who he thought was widen his eyes in terror, Rito has charged right into him without warning.

Seeing the boy raises up his fist, Ghi Bree face goes all white. He holds up his hand in defense and screams by reflect.

"AAAAhhhhh ! I'm sorry !"

"…..!"

Rito whole body stops immediately before his hand could land a hit on the alien's face. The boy was dumbfound at Ghi Bree reaction.

"You…..sorry…?"

…0-oh no !

Realizing what he just did, Ghi Bree quickly regains composure and puts hands on hip.

"I-I said I won't forgive you even if you apologize !"-he laughs nervously.

There was a pause, silence fills all over the gym.

"….."-without a word, Rito raises his fist again threatening his opponent.

"Euk !"

Ghi Bree backs away in panic and he hits the floor hard as he steps on one of many balls lying around.

Watching Ghi Bree knocked out by a single volley ball, Rito could only stare in awkward.

….he's so weak….

The boy knew Ghi Bree was hiding something but he never know it was this. Now, he don't know what to do with this guy anymore.

Suddenly, Ghi Bree massive body shrinks, all the spine on his body disappear and so does his sharp finger nail. His two yellow eyes now covered in black mask-like outline and the pointy teeth are also got replaced by a bucktooth.

From what Rito and Lala could see, the alien appearance could be describe as a small stuffed toy.

"…he got smaller ?"-the boy asks, slightly shocked by what he saw.

Ghi Bree now lying on the ground, twitching due to the impact of his head hit the floor hard.

"Is that's Ghi Bree's true form ?"-the pink hair girl also gives out a question.

"You don't know ?"

"No, Ghi Bree always see me in his man-size form so I have no idea."

"My, isn't he a Balkean ?"-Peke speaks out loud.

Both turn their eyes to Lala's round hairclip, knowing that they are not fully understand, Peke continues.

"Balkean is an alien race that known for their excellent mimicry abilities, however their physical is extremely delicate."

"I see."

"So he was just bluffing…"-Rito sighs in relief, it seems like this matter is not as serious as he thought.

He then walks to Sairenji, carefully release all the tentacles that wind around her fragile body. Standing behind him, Lala takes a good look at the tentacle sticking on the ceiling.

"These tentacles are creepy."-Peke comments.

"Such a horrendous bio machine, I'll use one of my inventions to deal with it later."

After placing Sairenji down on the floor, Rito turns around nervously because beside her blazer, several part of her shirt was torn off more than he thought which was revealing her white skin.

"Oh, look at what Ghi Bree done to Haruna. Peke can you mend her ripped clothe ?"

"Leave it to me, Lala-sama. I can easily repair this material using my system."

"Is it ? Great."-Lala smiles.

As Lala is still talking with Peke, the boy looks back at Ghi Bree and raises his eyebrow. The small alien has regained conscious and currently trying to sneak out.

"Hey !"

Hearing the boy's shout, Ghi Bree runs out of the gym on his two short legs. But all of a sudden, a hand grabs him when he was right at the door.

"Gotcha."-Ito grins as he lifts up the alien.

"Nii-san…."-Rito calls his brother as he walks in."Sairenji is safe now."

"Nice, I knew you can handle this by yourself."-he looks down at Ghi Bree."I mean look at this guy."

"R-release me !"-the small alien struggles trying to break out from Ito's grip.

In that moment, another two small figures pop out from behind the door and walk in. Their appearance is similar to Ghi Bree since both have the same greeny skin although one of them is smaller in size.

Seeing them coming in, Ito turns to them while holding Ghi Bree in his arms.

"I believe he is your husband ?"

"Huh ?"

"Eh ?"

The orange hair boy and Lala widen their eyes at his question, the female alien nods and look at Ghi Bree in furious.

"Darling, what are you doing here ?!"-she yells.

"H-h-honey, I can explain !"-Ghi Bree's face turns blue as he recognizes the alien.

"You should be !"-the female alien pinches his ear hard the moment Ito puts him down. She then turns to Lala."I'm sorry for all the trouble he caused to you, Lala-sama. If you excuse me, I need to teach this idiot a lesson."

She drags him to a corner and starts scolding him, the smallest alien who is holding a candy also follows the pair.

"That boy…"

"He's Ghi Bree's son."

"No way, he has a child ?!"-Lala is astonished, she never heard about the fact that Ghi Bree has become a father.

"…well…"-The brown hair boy scratches his head as he recalls and tells them what happened back in the nurse's office.

….

Lately, Ghi Bree's wife has gone around the galaxy to find him after his sudden disappearance for no reason. Whenever she got a hold on his where about, she came to look for him but Ghi Bree has already left, she tried to caught him on many times, many different planets again and again but still no use.

Later, she discovered a silly fact that Ghi Bree was disappeared on purpose, he went to other planet to meet beautiful girl and flirt with them in secret by mimicking the most handsome man there. She even knew the alien has a planned to build a harem empire.

Around that time, planet Deviluke had announced to the whole galaxy that they are looking for a candidate who will become the king successor and Lala marriage partner. Upon thinking that Ghi Bree could be aiming at the princess due to her beautiful appearance, Ghi Bree's wife decided to observer this event just like everyone else to find him easier.

Then, a rumor rose up.

The princess is living at a planet called Earth under the protection of a mysterious guardian, those who can beat him will have the right to marry the princess and officially become a successor to the king. Knowing Ghi Bree playboy nature, the alien will definitely goes there. Therefore, the wife went to the told planet together with her son, Ghi Bree's son.

She intent to inform the guardian about Ghi Bree's arrival, hoping that she can find and punish that idiot husband at the same time. Finally, she ended up at Sainan high school and met Rito's brother in the nurse's office where she told him everything.

"…and that's the whole story."

"I see, she took a long way here to find her husband."

"So Ghi Bree has a wife."-Lala speaks as she's still slightly surprised that one of her candidates is already married.

The trio stay silent when they hear Ghi Bree's wife's voice raises and a dark aura appears behind her at the corner of the gym.

"You made me worry so much, I won't forgive you this time !"

"..well, this is…."-Ghi Bree stammers as he is overwhelmed by his wife.

"Even your son is missing you and you just gone away like that !"

"My son ?"

The child alien then walks close to his dad. Upon seeing him, Ghi Bree eyes start to shed some tear, he goes to his son and hug him, rubbing his head gently.

Except Lala, both Rito and Ito feel a little weird at that exaggerated emotion of the child-size alien. But what can they say ?

Ghi Bree is an alien and a father at the very least, they don't know what others would think about this. But from the look of it, this is just like a family reunion.

"…so….Ghi Bree, why did you wanted to get engaged to Lala while you already have a wife ?"-the orange hair boy asks out of curiosity.

"Huh ? Well…."-Ghi Bree glances briefly at his wife."I want to have a harem."

The air filled with silence.

"….a what ?"

"What do you mean a harem?"

The twin asks.

"Allow me to explain."-the wife joins in the topic."My stupid husband here comes to other planets to mimics the most handsome alien there and flirts with all the beautiful women he met, he even want to marry them."

The two look at each other as the word slowly progress to their head, their line of thought stops at the word "handsome". A second later, a realization strike them.

…hang on, didn't Ghi Bree mimic the principal and Sasuga-sensei.

…..the most handsome ?

Two images slide through their thought, a handsome P.E teacher and a fat man with a bald head that they call the school headmaster.

….Ghi Bree only mimics the one he think is handsome, does that mean…

…he thought the principal is handsome too !?

Both boys give out a long sigh, totally not happy with the fact that their headmaster was recognized as handsome by Ghi Bree.

"So dreadful."-the two speaks in sync.

"You better be prepare after we get home."-the female alien says to her husband.

"What…but…"

"No but, you already caused a lot of trouble to the princess and her guardian."-her strict voice makes Ghi Bree backs away a little.

"..I…I'm sorry…"-he nods, feeling a little guilty for what he did.

Watching the sight in silence, Ito stretches out both hands as today incident is over. He gently taps his younger brother's shoulder twice letting him know that he's going back to class.

"Thanks, nii-san."-Rito speaks to his brother as he is walking out the gym, hand waving back.

"I guess it's time we go home now."

Rito looks at the female alien who bowing to him and Lala.

"Wait, can I have a word with your husband before you go ?"-the boy's sudden question raises a question mark on the alien family head, even Lala is a little bit surprised.

"Me ?"-Ghi Bree points at himself and the boy nods.

Rito walks close to him, sitting down on one knee to shorten the difference in height. Ghi Bree is a little nervous by the boy's act, wondering if the Earthling in front of him is still mad at what he had done to the blue hair girl.

However, he doesn't expect what're about to come next as Rito clasps both hands.

"Can you not talk to anyone about this….I mean my identity ?"

"Huh ?…w-what are you saying ?"-the alien dazed.

"Please keep this as a secret, I don't want to attract anymore troubles to my friend."

"But why ? Why are you saying that to me, I'm your enemies, I even tried to take Lala and your classmate away?"

"You what !?"-the female alien glares at Ghi Bree.

"…uh…I mean…..I want to add that girl to my harem !"-Ghi Bree makes a quick turn to his wife, sweating a little.

"True, I may not forgive you for that, what you done to Sairenji is awful."-the boy speaks in a deep voice.

Ghi Bree looks down at his feet, knowing he has gone overboard with this bluffing of his. He feels regret, deep down he wants to apologize to the guardian, to the princess. But somehow, he doesn't have enough confident for that.

"But still….."-Rito turns his orange eyes color to the child next to him, showing a warmed smile."…at least you're not an awful father."

"Eh ?"

"Despite the things you had done today, I believe you are still a good person. But please don't do that again, you can't just let your…ambition drives you around like that."

The moment when Ghi Bree hugs his son, Rito could see a small happiness flashing through his round yellow eyes.

That emotion of his…..

That small expression of the greeny skin alien …

It can only be described as genuine.

Ghi Bree really loves his family, but he just can't express that well as he was blindly follow the so called "harem" desire.

"So…will you consider my request ?"

"…I will…"-he nods slowly.

"Thank you, have a safe trip with your family, ok."

Rito stands up and turns back to Lala who is looking at him with curious eyes, even Peke is also gazing at him.

"All right, let's go home now dear, if might take a long time to get back to our planet."- the female alien takes out a device and press a button on it.

A few seconds passed and nothing happened.

"Hm, that's weird."-she press the button again and nothing still happen."Oh I forgot ! Our ship has run out of fuel when we arrived here !"

"You ship run out of fuel ?"-Lala asks, her curious eyes back then has gone after hearing the problem.

"Yes, and I forgot to bring a spare one."-The female alien looks down in depressed.

"Lala, can you do something about this ? Or how about we ask Zastin to lend them some ?"

"Don't worry, I came up with an idea."-Lala pulls out a pink from her pocket."We'll just use my invention~."

The pink hair girl press several buttons and a light burst out from the device screen, immediately, a toilet-like machine appears on the ground.

"Slosh-Slosh Wrap-kun~."-Lala calls it name with a cheerful voice."This device will wrap everyone off of Earth, so be safe, ok ?"

Ghi Bree family sweat drop as they still don't know what the princess is talking about. On the other hand, Rito understands Lala word too well that he feels himself paled a little.

….wrap….in a toilet…?

The device then opens it cover, revealing the water inside it just like an asual toilet. The water flow out and change into a small tornado, before the alien family could react it rolls up them and brings them into the machine.

As the cover is close, Rito could hear several screams in that spinning water. He can only stands there watching it with a blank face, blinking and thinking about what it feels like to be spun around in a tornado.

Of course, that thought didn't last long as the feel of chilling slowly ride on his spine, he quickly shakes his head to forget it.

Moving back to the blue hair girl who still lying on the ground, Rito gently lifts her up and leans his classmate against the wall while trying his best not to look at her torn clothe. He then picks up the blazer that has been slit apart to cover Sairenji, preventing her from catching cold.

The orange hair boy walks to door, his face is slightly red due to embarrassment.

"Rito, where are you going ?"

"Lala, I'm going back to the classroom first. Once her clothe is fixed, please carry her to the nurse's office."

"Ok, but you not coming with us ? You're the one who saved her."

"I didn't really do anything special, just take her to the office and don't mention anything about today incident, ok ?"

"Alright."

"Thanks, I'll leave her in your care then."

Lala looks at the boy as he closes the gym door and walks away, disappearing from her sight.

"How odd, he said he didn't do anything, but I don't think so at all."-she muttering while turning her emerald green eyes back to Sairenji.

"Rito-dono sure are weird right, Lala-sama ? He did saved this girl after all."-Peke speaks.

That bluffing of Ghi Bree is truly frightening even for an Earthling like him. But both Lala and Peke had seen it, the boy didn't even once show fear and faced him bravely.

That orange hair boy is really something…..

…

"….."

Sairenji slowly opens her eyes as her conscious returns back, her eyes are still blurring as the light from outside the window envelop all over the room.

…..did I just lost conscious ?

Noticing someone is sitting next to her bed, Sairenji drifts her eyes a bit to see who is it and she recognizes Lala as she is right there looking at her.

"Lala-san…"

"You're up, Haruna~."

"What happened ? Why am I here ?"

"You had an anemia attack and collapsed in the gym."-the pink hair girl explains.

"Anemia ?"-Sairenji stands up, still feels dizzy."…I see.."

Sairenji puts a hand on her chest, she doesn't remember anything before she passed out.

…..what was I doing in the gym ?

"Either way."-Lala leans forward and hugs her friend in happy which makes the blue hair girl surprised."I'm so glad that you're all right, Haruna~."

"L-Lala-san….were you the one who found me ?"

"Nope."-Lala shakes her head and smiles."The one who saved you is Rito."

"Eh ?"

Sairenji widen her blue eyes as her cheek warm up, she could feel her heart beating fast as a sensation that she knows so well slowly grow in her body.

…..Yuuki-kun…..saved me ?

The image of an orange hair boy appears in the girl's mind which makes her blushing a little.

As Sairenji is thinking about the boy, a voice in the next bed interrupts her thought.

"Ouch, where am I ? How long have I been sleeping here?"

Both girl turn to look at the source of that voice and they see their P.E teacher, Sasuga, is sitting on the bed while rubbing his head.

"Why can I remember anything ?"

"Sasuga-sensei."-Sairenji calls out his name.

"Hm ?"-he looks at the girls and waves at them."Oh, hi everyone."

…

Somewhere near the moon, a spaceship is floating endlessly in the darkness of the universe. The ship contain many rooms and advanced equipment that far surpass the human technology, a man with greyish hair is immersing in a bath filled with boiling water.

The commander of planet Deviluke's royal family bodyguard, Zastin, is currently enjoying himself in a massive room which having an invisible wall that can be seen through, admiring the Earth full form behind that wall. It was such a magnificence view that he's watching.

"How beautiful…"

Although the Earth was an isolated planet in the universe, no one can deny it beauty outside space.

"Hm….taking a bath while looking at the Earth is not bad at all."

Zastin wipes out the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief, the water is still boiling. However, he is unaware that a ray of lightning appears on the bottom and starts to get bigger.

"Hm ?"- Zastin is caught off guard as Ghi Bree family flew out from the bath which scaring him to the point that he is speechless."Oowwwaaa ! Something just came out of the bathtub !"

Zastin's voice echo through the whole spaceship. In the command center, two Devilukean flinch when they hear his scream.

"What is commander screaming about ?"

"No idea."

Zastin didn't know, his enjoyment has been ruined by Lala's invention….again.

 _ **ARC 2: Ghi Bree**_

 _ **End**_

/

* * *

 **Author's note: Finally, we has reached the end of the second arc. That was a nice ending for everyone, don't you think ?  
**

 **At first, I intented to post this chapter before Christmas but my schedule won't allow me to do that, so many things to do with the exam and preparation for next year. Now that everything is done, I managed to update this when the holiday is still there.**

 **Leave me your review about this arc if you don't mind, I'm really appreciate it.**

 **And...that's everything for now, I will see you guys in the next chapter. Thank you and have a good holiday.**

 **Merry Christmas and Happy New Year~~!**


	9. Chapter 9: Sainan tour

**Here's come the third arc, enjoy~.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 _ **ARC 3: Shopping Trip  
**_

 **Chapter 9** **: ~Sainan tour~**

Darkness…..

There was a dark empty space around the boy…

He looked at every directions and all he could see is blackness. Eventually, he closed his eyes then took a deep breath.

He knew this place, he knew the familiar feeling it gave to him. It was not nervous nor fear, it was not cold nor warm, either.

It was something that he had experienced many time before...

The boy opened his eyes and moved toward the endless path before him, the place where he was at was completely dark. The surface he was stepping on emitted a faint sound like a whisper. Then, something happened…..

Many strange symbols slowly appeared around him, its color visibly changed from black to a red blood ones.

While staring at those symbols, the boy's right hand which was covered in bandage twitched slightly and so did his right eye. But he didn't care much about that fact, despite some parts of his body was affected by the strange phenomena, he kept walking and didn't look back at those symbols. The boy raised his right hand and looked at its palm, he could see a very faint light coming from his right arm.

[Heartbeat sound]

At the whole time when he was walking, the boy stayed silent and not a single word came from him. He didn't think he would be in the mood to talk since there was no one but him in this dark place.

Then, he stopped as a thin light came to his view. A shining light was in front of him, it was like the ending point of this place. The boy walked fast to it and his speed increased by each steps, soon he ran to the thin light…

And at that moment, the dark world flicked….

….

…...uhhh….

Rito opened his eyelids and raised his head up as the morning light woke him, the orange hair boy noticed his right hand was still holding a pencil. Realizing that he had slept on his tablefor the entire night, Rito straightened his back and looked down at the notebook where his face just lied on. There was several drawings of the constellations on it, and next to the note lied an astronomy book that the orange hair boy has borrowed from the school's library.

….I see, I fell asleep last night.

Last night, after the dinner, the boy has spent most of the time to read the astronomy book since today was the deadline to return it back to school. For some reasons, he decided to draw some constellations but stopped midway as he fell asleep.

Rito closed the books and looked out the halt opened window next to his bed. He could feel the cool breeze rushed in and spread around the whole room together with a faint breath…..

….huh ?

The boy raised an eyebrow as he just noticed something.

….why do I hear a breathing sound ?

Rito's eyes shifted back to his bed and he sweat dropped. The pink hair girl, Lala, was sleeping on the bed and covered herself with a blanket.

…..Lala ?!

He stood up and walked up to her. The alien girl was sleeping peacefully, her pink hair gently wavered in the cool breeze. Upon looking, Lala was really pretty and this is the first time he could take a closer look at her face for a good decent amount of time to notice more of that trait.

"Huh ?"

But that thought seemed to vanish from his head instantly as he also noticed that Lala didn't wear any clothe, literally. Rito quickly turned his eyes always and walked fast to the door, his face was red like a tomato due to embarrassment.

However, the moment he stretched out his hand to reach the door-knob was the moment the door was opened by a young girl.

"Rito, wake up, breakfast is ready…huh ?"

Mikan was surprised when she saw Rito stood in front of her, the little girl didn't expect that the orange hair boy would wake up this soon since today was Sunday.

"Oh, you woke up-"-she stopped her word when a sight of the pink hair girl sleeping went into her view, Mikan then moved her eyes to the orange hair boy.

Seeing Mikan looked at the alien girl and stared back at him coldly, a realization struck him. The boy quickly waved his hand in denial.

"No no, it's not what you think. I didn't-"

"It's fine, Rito. I see you're starting to become less timid with girl now."-Mikan said as her cold stare still directed at him.

"No, you misunderstand, I was sleeping on the table not on the bed…I..I don't even know when did Lala come into my room !"-Rito said nervously.

Gazing at the orange hair boy, Mikan let out a small sigh and said.

"Anyway, breakfast is ready you should hurry up before it gets cool."-while turning away, a grin was formed on Mikan'slip."I know Lala-san is a beautiful girl, so I understand if you have a hard time to self-control yourself."

"Self-control ? What are you talking about ?"-Rito sweat dropped as he didn't understand the meaning behind Mikan's word.

"You really are naïve,Rito."-she sighed but smiled afterward and walked down the stairs.

The boy walked out of his room and his eyes followed Mikan until she was out of sight. He then grabbed the door knob in attempt to close it….

"Umm~~."

Hearing the voice, he looked up and saw Lala stretched out both arms as she just woke up but the blanket which covered her body has fell down…

While rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lala heard a loud clicking sound and several hurried footsteps echoed outside the room which made she looked at the closed door in wonder.

….

"What's the matter Rito, your face looks red ?"-asked the brown hair boy as he sat down on the sofa.

Rito didn't response, he just sat quietly and covered his face with both hands instead. He really didn't have anything to comment right now, especially after he had seen Lala woke up with no clothe.

Not receiving any replies from the young brother, Ito took a guess and it didn't take long.

"Lala went into your room again ?"

The orange hair boy nodded.

"…and…she "slept" like the last time ?"

He nodded again and the brown hair boy sweat dropped. Eventually, silence filled in the living room as Ito decided to stop the conversation, he took the remote and turned on the television to watch the news.

[Today's problem has been solved by burning-]

Click !

[Welcome to the gourmet entertainment, today's menu-]

Click !

[Thanks to the effort of the government and the leaders around the world, Lanshiang province has come back to its former peaceful day after the attack…..]

Both Ito and Rito raised an eyebrow and looked at the news as it caught their attention, a hint of amazement and relief appeared in their eyes.

"Well, now that's a good news."-Ito commented and put on a smile.

"Amazing, in such a short time…"-Rito said as surprised still lingered on his face, later he smiled too.

"You and Ito seem happy with this news…."-the little sister spoke as she shifted her eyes from the manga she was reading to the television."What did it say ?"

"They just brought a place back to its normal day after it had been engulfed in a terrorist's attack."-Ito explained.

"Heh~."-Mikan sat up as the explanation also caught her interest.

The sibling kept watching the news but a voice suddenly interrupted the moment.

"Ne Rito~, let's play game."

They all turned to the pink hair girl who just walked in after finishing her breakfast.

"Maybe later Lala, let me watch this news first."

"Eh~, the news ?"

"It'll be just for a moment."

"Okay~."

Lala nodded and sat down next to Rito, which he didn't expect, she was so closed to him, so closed that their arm touched. Nevertheless, Rito didn't seem to mind this as he was focusing on the news…or did it seem like that ?

After the news was over, Ito turned off the television and stretched out both arms, Mikan went back to read her manga while Rito let out a small sigh probably happy for hearing this news. Then, he startled when he noticed his left arm was clinging by Lala.

"Uwaa !Lala, don't hold my arm like that !"-his face turned pure red.

"Eh~, why ?"

"Lala-san was holding your arm for the whole time you watch the news, Rito."-Mikan said, grinning.

"T-t-the whole time !?"-the orange hair boy stammered.

"Rito~, you don't like it ?"-Lala asked him with her eyes sparkling like a cute puppy.

"….."

The orange hair boy was speechless. Now, he was facing with one of the toughest questions that only existed in those gal-games that Saruyama sometime played with the boy in his class, how should he answer that ?

If he chose no, Lala would be sad and it made him sound like a bad guy.

If he chose yes, Lala would be happy but his mentality would be in danger zone if this occur again in the future.

The orange hair boy scratched his cheek sheepishly, he couldn't choose neither of the two options and he couldn't try to change the topic since it would be rude to her. Eventually, he decided to come up with an answer, a one that from deep within him.

"I'm sorry, it's just…..I'm not use to it, it makes me feel embarrassing when a girl does that."

"Embarrassing~ ?"

"So basically, Rito-dono is not good at dealing with girls ?"-Peke spoke.

"..ahaha…"-the orange hair boy sweat dropped and put on a thin smiled.

Hearing the boy's answer, Mikan let out a brief sigh. It was a silly reason, but to her, she knew that his answer was truthful. Rito didn't say yes or no but he didn't try to dodge Lala's question and answer it with honesty. Somehow, the little sister felt proud of her onii-chan…..

"It's ok, Rito~."

"…?"

"It's not embarrassing at all."-Lala held up his hand."….see…when I hold Rito's hand like this my heart beats a little faster and I feel happy, other than that I don't feel any embarrassment at all."

"…..Lala…"

The two looked straight into each other eyes, the background suddenly filled with full of pink and sparkling light in a romantic way. Rito's orange eyes met Lala's green emerald ones and her were glittering just like a situation in a shoujo manga.

"Well, aren't you getting all lovey dovey there, Rito ?"-Mikan grinned as she wanted to tease him.

"….."

The orange hair boy didn't respond, his eyes slowly shifted down to his hand which was in Lala's grasp. Then, in the next second, steam burst out from his head and his eyes spun.

"..this….this is too much ! I can't do this !"-Rito yelled out comically while hiding his red face in a small pillow, an act that Lala found it very…..cute.

"Aww~, Rito is blushing, so cute~ !"

Seeing this, Mikan giggled and Ito felt a little sympathy for Rito but he also found himself chuckled at the sight.

…..as expected of Rito.- the sibling thought.

…

Later on, the atmosphere soon died down and it went back to a regular Sunday morning in the Yuuki's house hold. Mikan was lying on the sofa reading manga like usual. Ito was reading novel silently on the other side of the low table. Rito and Lala were playing game together. Unexpectedly, the alien girl seemed to have a huge interest in the game as they were playing the ones with JRPG genre.

The clicking and the sound effects from the handheld console repeatedly echoed in the room. After Lala and the orange hair boy defeated a boss in the dungeon, the map displayed on the screen. Lala's character moved to another location while the boy's character stood there and hasn't moved an inch, the pink hair girl looked up at him as he didn't press any button since the map was displayed.

Rito stared at the map as it just reminded him about something. Eventually, he lowered the console and spoke.

"Now that reminds me, Lala, I still haven't show you around the town ever since you started to live here, have I ?"

"The town~ ?"

Mikan heard that and she decided to join in the conversation.

"That's right, Lala-san haven't had a look around Earth yet so how about we go out today and show you around Sainan ?"

"Really ? All right~ !"-Lala clasped her hand in happy.

"Well, that decides it."-Ito closed the novel and stood up."We don't have anything to do today so let's go out."

With that, they went back to their room to make some preparations and changed clothe. Since Lala already has Peke to form the costume she was currently wearing, she just waited for them. A few minutes later, everyone has ready for the trip.

…huh ?-Peke looked at the clothe Rito was wearing as the orange hair boy walked downstairs.

Noticing the look from the robot, Rito raised an eyebrow at him and asked.

"What's wrong, Peke ?"

"…hm…Rito-dono, that clothe…."-Peke stared at the black hoodie with a red symbol N7 placed on its right chest."It looks familiar."

"Of course, this is the one I gave Lala to wear it when we first met, what about it ?"

"..no, nevermind…"-Peke said so, but his eyes still fixed on the red symbol of the hoodie.

…now I just noticed, I've seen that symbol before…but where ?...

Thinking for a while, Peke decided to discard that thought as he believed it was just his imagination….

"All right, let's go out and have some fun~~ !"-Lala said smiling as she raised her hand up high before walked out the door.

"Hold up."-Ito said stopping her and pointed a finger at her outfit."You want to go around the town in that outfit ?"

Lala looked down at her costume. She was wearing the very same clothe that she wore when she first met the orange hair boy, the Peke's "Dress form" which was the ones Peke was wearing, a white jacket with yellow pattern and a blue shirt with a red tie in between.

"Of course, is there something wrong with it ?"-Lala asked.

"Lala, before we wander around Sainan, you need to do something with your getup."-the orange hair boy answered as he pointed to the big hat, which was Peke, on her head."It will attract a lot of attention if you walk around in that dress."

"Eh~? I can't be in a dress mode ?"-Lala spoke, a little disappointed by the fact.

"We're going to show you around Earth today, Lala-san."-the little sister opened the door and turned back to Lala."It's probably better for you to wear some normal clothes."

"I see."

"I guess we have no choice then."-Peke the hairclip spoke up."But I need to gather more data of Earthing's clothe before I can transform into it."

"More data ?"-the orange hair boy raised an eyebrow at Peke's word.

"Peke can transform into any kind of costume but he needs to copy the design to imitate it."-the alien girl explained.

"Then what about the school uniform Lala was wearing at school ?"-Rito replied as a thought came up to him."Peke already copied its design, right ? Lala can just wear it in the mean time then."

"Ok~, Peke."-Lala nodded.

"Roger !"-the robot glowed making the costume Lala was wearing disappeared and replaced it with Sainan winter uniform.

Since the process happened without telling beforehand, both Rito and the brown hair boy quickly turned away to avoid looking at Lala. Mikan giggled while staring at her two brothers, they so alike to the point it amazed her a bit. The two managed to notice Lala's clothing matter before going out, even Mikan didn't aware of the clothe the pink hair girl wore until they told her about it.

"And it's done~."

"Well then, let's head to the first location….shopping district."-Mikan said as she walked out of the house.

"Huh ? Why shopping district ?"-her brother asked in unison.

"Lala-san doesn't have any other clothes to wear besides from the ones Peke forms for her."-she pointed up a finger."So won't it be better if we buy some more clothes for her."

"Oh, I forgot about it."-Ito scratched his head.

"You right, I didn't notice that."-Rito scratched his cheek by one finger.

"You two really didn't think that far ahead, did you ?"-the little girl grinned.

Mikan might not notice the matter in front of her just like those two. But even so…..

Sometime the little sister could think far more ahead than her brother.

"Hi hi~, Now let's go, to the shopping district."-Lala spoke in an exited tone as she raised her hand up punching the air.

The first Sainan tour of the Devilukean princess started as the four headed to the said location. However, unknown to them, their trip would have another person joining in…

And unexpectedly, that would happen sooner than they thought….

….

 **(Location: Sainan's shopping district)**

"Waahh~ ! So this is an Earth town."-the pink hair girl looked at the building around her in excitement."It has so many things and so lively~."

They were at the most crowded spot in the town where it was surrounded by a lot of tall buildings. And since today was Sunday, the place became a lot more crowded than usual.

"Lala-san, now that we're here do you want to have a look around first before buying some clothes ?"-Mikan asked.

"…..hm…."-Lala thought as she placed a finger on her cheek.

Standing a few feets away from the girls, Rito and his brother were observing the people who walked along the street near them and the girls. Most of them, especially boy, kept glancing at the pink hair girl every time they walked pass her and then later more and more people looked at the beautiful transfer student.

"It seems no matter which clothe Lala's wearing, she still stands out a lot in the crowd."-Ito commented.

"…ahaha..I agree."-Rito scratched his cheek while smiling weakly.

"I know, right. Lala-chan is so pretty like that."

…Huh ?

A question mark appeared on top of the twin's head as they heard a third voice coming from their left. It was a familiar boy with a black pointing back spiky hair, Kenichi Saruyama, their best friend, was standing next to them, smiling and nodding, totally satisfied with the compliment.

"What are you doing here ?"-the orange hair boy and Ito asked in unison.

And so…..

With that sentence, the eventful shopping trip has begun…

* * *

 **Author's note: And...that's a clifthanger there. Wow, this chapter is a lot shorter than the previous ones.**

 **But surprised ~! Saruyama has joined in the trip and this means more comedy in the next chap. There are a few hints which relate to the orange hair boy's past in this chapter, I bet you already seen one. In addition to that, looks like we have another mystery involving Rito now...**

 **Well, that would be everything for now, leave me your opinion about the chapter if you please. Thank you and have a good day.**


	10. Chapter 10: Eventful-Experience

**Might be a little late to say this but still happy new year everyone.**

 **To reviewer's question:**

 **magic135: well, I understand why you feel annoyed at the alien girl but that's how Lala is at the beginning of the first manga. She has a really bubbly, high spirit characteristic, almost childish but she didn't mean to bring trouble to anyone. I'll try to progress her character development fast so stick with me. Btw, if you felt annoyed by her attitude then that's mean I have successfully portrayed her personality exactly like in the canon, caused I used to feel annoyed by this, too, so I'm really thankful for that. Hope to get more support from you.**

 **And here is the first chapter of year 2016.**

 **Please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10** **: ~Eventful_Experience~**

"What are you doing here ?"

"Shopping with Lala-chan and Mikan-chan."

"Why ?"-the twin asked again.

"What do you mean why ?! I been joining in this trip with you guys ever since you walked out of your house and I was invited by non-other than Lala-chan and your little imouto-chan!"-Saruyama exclaimed to them with a tick mark on his forehead, clearly not amused with the question.

"You were ?"-Ito raised an eyebrow at him.

"I was !"

The orange hair boy and Ito widen their eyes slightly at his word. Then, they recalled back to the moment when them, Lala and Mikan walked out of the door.

…half an hour ago…

 _The pink hair girl walked out together with Mikan and her brothers as they left the residence to go to the shopping district. Just when they were passing an alley near there, the figure of Saruyama came into their view._

" _Yo, good morning, Mikan-chan, Lala-chan, where are you going ?"-Saruyama waved at the girls and walked to them._

 _Saruyama was heading to Rito's house since he had "something" he wanted to ask both the orange hair boy and Ito. Thus, this meeting led to him joining in the shopping trip with them….._

...back to the present...

"Hey, why are you both looking at the sky ? Are you guys having a flashback right now?"-Saruyama looked at the boys with half-opened eyes.

Hearing his word, the two snapped back to reality and glanced at him.

"Yeah, you were."-Ito said nonchalantly.

"Sorry, I don't remember that."-Rito said nervously and scratched his head.

"What do you mean you don't remember ?! What kind of friend are you ?!"-Saruyama yelled out comically as anime tears slowly formed in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I honestly don't remember that part !"-Rito waved his hand trying to calm him down.

"I just walked with you guys and Lala-chan for half an hour and you already forgot it."

"I see….."-was what the brown hair boy said.

Saruyama and the orange hair boy turned to him as he just said some words that didn't clear much for them. Ito placed a hand on his chin, it seemed he was saying what was in his mind.

"So this is what called comedy service."

Rito sweat drop at the word while Saruyama just stared at his brother in dumbfound.

"What are you talking about ?"-Said the black hair boy.

"Rito, Ito, Saruyama-san, Let's go ! Lala-san said she wants to have a look around first !"-Mikan called out to the trio.

The brown hair boy walked up to the two girls. Rito and Saruyama quickly followed them.

"Hey, are you ignoring me ?"

"Come on, Saruyama. We're showing Lala around the town today so let's just enjoy the trip."

"…right."-He muttered.

The orange hair boy increased his pace to catch up with the group, Saruyama glanced at his back then shifted his eyes to the pink hair girl who was smiling brightly. With one thought inside his mind, he proudly rose up his clenched fist to his chest and his irises were sparkling with enthusiasm.

…well, at least I can finally enjoy my first date with Lala-chan…..and Mikan-chan, too.

As his mind was on nine clouds, Saruyama almost lost sight of the group…

…

* * *

 **-Music 04: Next 2 U**

* * *

The group began wandering around the area, they walked pass all kind of places and stores. The pink hair girl was excited and happy by all the new stuffs that Mikan, Saruyama and the twin showed to her. Her enjoyment kept increasing little by little with all the masks, delicious local foods, street performances, etc. Lala was amazed as there were so many interested things on Earth, and it was really fun for her to experience all the things that she has never seen back on Deviluke.

On the other hand, the group was also really enjoying the shopping trip together with the Deviluke's princess, especially Saruyama, he was having one of the best moments in his life. He kept seeing the energetic Lala-chan smiled at him, talked to him whenever he started a conversation with her. Across Sainan, all the male students in his class suddenly got jealous for no reason as someone other than Rito in their class has achieved a joyful time with the alien girl.

They stopped by an entertainment playground, Lala's eyes were sparkling non-stop as she looked at the stuffed animal claw machine.

"What is this machine ?"-asked the pink hair girl.

"It's a game where you put money in it and grab the stuffed animal with the crane."-Mikan explained to her.

"Oh~~."-while observing the stuff animals inside it, a one with the appearance of a rabbit caught her eyes."Wah ! That one's cute~."

"Hm, it's pretty big, so it'll be difficult to get it."-the little sister said as she took a look at the toy.

Hearing that, an idea came up to Saruyama.

…..that's it ! It's my time to shine in Lala-chan's eyes….and Mikan-chan, too.

"Don't worry Mikan-chan."-he inserted a coin to the machine and pointed a finger at himself."Lala-chan, you just leave that rabbit to me !"

Both Rito and Ito raised an eyebrow at Saruyama. They noticed he was strangely excited more than usual today since their best friend just volunteered to play a game that….he was extremely bad at it.

Saruyama pushed the level control to move the crane on top the stuffed animal and hit the button with full of confidence. As a result, the crane missed as it descended to an empty space next to the plush toy.

"Oh~, it missed."

"Huh ? Ok, let's try again, I'll get it this time."

And he failed….

"Don't worry Lala-chan, that's was just practice, this is my true skill !"

Another missed…..

"Sorry, I wasn't serious, but I'll play serious this time !"

Another missed….

"Witness the power of my gold hand !"

 **[MISSED]**

"WWWWWWWWWHhhhhhhyyyyyyyy ?!"-Saruyama screamed comically in defeat, anime tears rolled down his cheek.

Ito patted on his friend's shoulder to cheer him up. On the contrary, Mikan was giggling and was really amused by Saruyama's reaction, now the little sister knew that someone has taken a liking to Lala and she wasn't surprised at the fact. Rito also patted him on the back and went to observe the gaps inside the claw machine. Looking at the stuffed rabbit, the orange hair boy noticed something was sticking to its foot.

"Saruyama, let's try again."-he said which caught the group's attention."We'll get it this time."

"Rito, you should know that I lost my pride 5 times in a row, I don't think I'm capable of doing this anymore."

"Hey, no one said you will do alone this time."-Ito whispered to his ear.

Saruyama widen his eyes as he began to get the meaning behind the orange hair boy's word. He understood that the twin will help him to play this game without fail. He stood up, wiping his manly tears and grabbed the level. Rito flicked a token to him to start the game.

"What are they doing ?"-the pink hair girl asked as she has no idea why the three of them stood so close to the machine.

"Who knows, but they will get that rabbit for you in no time, Lala-san."-receiving an "eh" from the girl, Mikan continued."Because both Rito and Ito are really good at these pointless type of game."

And turned out the result was just like the girl said, the trio did get the stuffed animal. However, it was two stuffed animals that they got from the machine since another ones was sticking its hand to the rabbit's foot.

"Here you go, Lala-chan, Mikan-chan."-Saruyama gave the plush toys to the girls.

"Thank you."

"Thanks, Saruyama-kun."-Lala happily took the toy.

….ah~~, Lala-chan is smiling at me.

His mind once again flew off to nine clouds but quickly snapped back as he saw Lala turned to the orange hair boy.

"Look Rito~, Saruyama-kun gave me this cute thing, what does it called ?"-the alien girl asked him with a sweet voice.

"It's a plush toy, people use it to…hug, I think."-Rito scratched his cheek while answered.

"Hehe~, I'll make this my treasure then~."-Lala smiled cutely and hugged that plush toy.

This caused both Saruyama and Rito's heart to throb. Saruyama smiled sheepishly in return, but….

Rito just chuckled and rubbed his nose instead of being flustered…..

….Rito ?

Saruyama turned his head to the orange hair boy as he noticed "something" in that expression of his, "something" that reminded him about the same emotion that he saw from Rito when he first told him about his dream girl, Sairenji, a few days ago.

"Saruyama-san."

"Huh ?"-Saruyama turned his eyes to Mikan as she called him."What is it, Mikan-chan ?"

"Could you somehow like Lala-san, you keep staring between her and Rito ?"

"Well absolutely ! Lala-chan is beautiful, pretty, cute and also sweet ! She's just like a princess, there is no way a boy like me won't like her."-he stated it proudly as if it was the obvious fact in the universe."Honestly, I'm really jealous of him and I don't understand why Rito doesn't notice that, Lala is totally into him….although that is not the case."

"Hm ?"-Mikan raised an eyebrow in wondered at him as she couldn't hear the last part that Saruyama was muttering.

"Ah, nevermind."

He quickly walked up to the orange hair boy and Lala leaving Mikan who was still pondering behind.

…..

The group walked off to another place and this time was a small outdoor restaurant since it was almost lunch. And since the table was small, they had to divide into two group, Lala sat down together with Mikan and the orange hair boy while the other two sat at a table near them. After ordering a snack, Saruyama placed one arm on the table and rest his chin on it, staring with half-opened eyes at the orange hair boy who was explaining Japan's specialty to Lala.

"Something's on your mind ?"

Saruyama moved his eyes to Ito in surprised and quickly straighten his back.

"Huh ? No, nothing I'm just thinking nonsense."

"If you say so."-Ito went back to read the novel he brought along.

Saruyama also did the same as he looked back to the other group, his eyes stopped at the alien girl for nearly a minute and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Haahh~, Lala-chan is so cute, she's just like an ojou-sama."

Ito glanced briefly at him, taking a water glass and drank.

"She could even transform her own clothe to a different ones, so amazing."

The brown hair boy choked almost immediately, he didn't expect Saruyama would said that or more precisely he never expect that those words would come out from his mouth.

"Are you ok ?"-Saruyama asked as he had no idea he just brought up a sensitive topic.

"You saw that ?! When ?!"-asked the surprised brown hair boy.

"When I was outside your house, why are you looking so surprised ?"-Saruyama raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Ito looked back at other tables including the ones his family members was sitting and realized that everyone were turning to look at the duo with curious eyes. His choked back then must have grabbed their attention. The brown hair boy turned his slightly panicked eyes back to Saruyama who was still staring at him in wonder.

The next thing Saruyama knew, Ito has grabbed his shoulder pulling him close and whispered to his ear, stressing every single word that he told him.

"Look Saruyama, what you seen back there, don't tell anyone about it."

"What ? Why ?"

Ito opened his mouth to say but stopped midway, he stayed silent. His friend had seen it, the moment when Lala changed to Sainan highschool uniform by using Peke's ability. He, Rito and Mikan never thought that this kind of situation would happen and yet it still occurred. Saruyama had seen what should had been a secret of Lala's identity.

Sooner or later, he will have to explain eveything to him.

"I'll tell you later, right now just keep it a secret."

"Secret ?! So it's true ?! Lala-chan is an ojou-sama ?"-Saruyama's eyes sparkling with excitement."I knew it ! A bishoujo like her can't be a normal foreign girl, I mean changing your own clothe in under 5 seconds ? She should be a really rich lady to have that kind of technology ! Wow, foreign nowadays, so advance."

Ito stared at him in dumbfounded as his brain tried to progress what Saruyama just said. Truth be told, he did saw Lala's dress mode disappeared and replaced with a different clothe but fortunately, it was a relief that he mistook the concept.

"Oh, and that black tail of Lala-chan is an accessory, correct ? There a rumor that she's a cosplayer, is it true, too ?"

That statement caused the brown hair boy to chuckle. After what happened with Ghi Bree yesterday, he might have become a little too cautious to help his brother to protect Lala's secret identity.

…and now he becomes too enthusiastic about Lala.

"Saruyama."

"Hm ?"

Ito's brown eyes looked at him with a hint of sympathy and relief.

"I'm glad you're my friend."

Saruyama stared at him for a while, a tick mark appeared on the boy's forehead and somehow he felt like an idiot seeing that kind of eyes were looking at him.

"Hey, is that a compliment ? It's a compliment, right ? I feel like I'm being insult here."

"It is, I'm also glad you an idiot."-he smiled.

"What's that suppose to mean ?"

The two friends kept arguing comically despite the weird looks people were giving them. Eventually, they went back to what they were doing and left them alone. However, the orange hair boy still looked back at them with a question mark on his head.

Noticing the look from his young brother, Ito waved his hand at him lightly to give the orange hair boy the "don't mind" signal. Hesitating a bit but Rito finally nodded and turned back to Lala.

Then no more word came out between Ito and Saruyama as the waitress brought foods to them. After eating for a while, Saruyama decided to start another conversation as the image of Rito's expression back from the entertainment ground suddenly came up to him.

"Recently, I noticed something different from Rito…."

"….."

"….yet I don't know how to explain it, it was like he is slowly distancing himself from everyone around him."

"You think so ?"-Ito glanced at him.

"No…not really… but after what he had experienced, it could be."

Ito didn't response at this point as he noticed a faint hint of sadness in Saruyama's voice.

"…..Rito is really changed, isn't he ?"

"Yeah…"-Saruyama widen his eyes slightly at the reply."He did changed, but not as the way you think."

"…?"

"You saw what he had experienced, you knew he didn't remember anything about what you told him. But even so…"-both looked at the orange hair boy's back."…you can be certain that my brother is the same old Rito who you knew back then."

"You right, he's still flustered when he see a girl in swimsuit."-Saruyama grinned."So I doubt he changed much."

Ito chuckled at his word.

"By the way, about yesterday…what were you two doing after I ran to Lala ?"

The brown hair boy flinched, a drip of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Uh…well….um…it's….it's a long story."

"You and Rito are hiding something from me, aren't you ?"-Saruyama narrowed his eyes in suspicious.

Ito looked away nervously to avoid eyes contact. He was in a crisis, and a really troublesome ones at that. Rito and the others were still talking about Japan's food so he was on his own in this matter now. Ito couldn't lie to Saruyama since he knew about Rito's haunting past and him…

Saruyama was a good friend to him and the orange hair boy but they hated to get him involved with their problems.

But after all, he knew what they went through and willing to share that experience. Where else can you find a friend like that….

"Alright, but promise me you won't tell anyone about this, if this leaks out it will cause a big ruckus."

Noticing the seriousness in Ito's brown eyes, Saruyama gulped, nodding.

"What I'm about to tell you also involves Lala so stay calm and do not yell nor do anything that get us attention."

"…o…ok…"

"Good, I'll go straight to the main point then."-the brown hair boy inhaled and breathed out, he spoke in a voice that small enough for only both him and Saruyama to hear."Lala is an alien."

Saruyama blinked twice, staring at the alien girl and looked back to Ito.

"I see, well that's the only explanation why she could run 100 meters in 10 seconds, Lala-chan's appearance is also really outstanding, now I understand why."-Saruyama said as he agreed with the given reason.

"Yup, that's why…wait, t-that's your reaction ? You just go with it like that ?"

"Well isn't it obvious, I know Lala-chan is beautiful, pretty, moe, cute, gorgeous, funny, energetic and sweet. But I kind of hard to believe a girl like that truly exists in 3D form, so this makes sense because….."-a hint of redness visible on Saruyama's cheek as he listed all the best trait he could fine from the alien girl. He said out loud while punching the air with his raised fist."A perfect character like that only exists in dating sim !"

Saruyama's funny act once again caught the attentions of some people nearby including Mikan, the orange hair boy and Lala who was the main topic they are talking about. Ito didn't seem to mind with their stare as he was busy trying to resist his urge to laugh out loud.

A few minutes later, the atmosphere soon died down as Ito continued to tell him the story.

"So you saying that Rito is currently her guardian and he is protecting her from those candidates."

"Uhm."

Saruyama took a peak at the orange hair boy. Now he understood why they were acting strange yesterday.

…..they were in such a troublesome situation there, aren't they ?-he thought to himself, feeling a little worried for their well-being.

Based on what Ito said, Sairenji was kidnapped by one of the candidates to threaten Rito and forced Lala to marry him unconditional. What surprised him most was that this happened in his very own school and no one knew about it.

…from the look of it, this guardian job of him sounds dangerous, why would he does that ?

"I don't understand, why did Rito chose to be a guardian ?"

The boy could have achieve a lot of things just by being Lala's flance and lucky for him, Lala was also like him…..

And yet, he completely broke down that decision and chose a different one, a risky path.

…..is this really ok ?

Staring into Saruyama's eyes, Ito sighed.

"You thinking too much, didn't I mention that this guardian thing is just a temporary task."

Saruyama widen his eyes slightly, Ito was right, maybe he was just overthinking.

"Yeah, you right."-Saruyama replied with a thin smile formed on his face.

After all, he already had an answer to that question himself.

And it was a really simple ones at that.

Protecting and helping people in need…..are what his friend always do.

Saruyama's smile widen as an image of the alien girl appeared in his head.

…..and I get to know more about Lala-chan now.

….

The group continued to wander around the district after the meal, Mikan has suggested some clothe shops nearby but before they could go, an unexpected event turned up by Ito.

"Hold up guys, let's go to an alley over there."-the brown hair boy pointed at a small alley on the side of the street they were walking."I have an important announcement I want to say."

They all looked at him with question marks swinging on their head and followed. The group stood inside an alley where they were out of everybody's sight, waiting for what Ito was about to tell them.

"…um, to sum it up, I already told Saruyama about Lala's real identity and the guardian stuff."-Ito scratched his head while saying it."So that means we have another person to keep it a secret."

Saruyama held up his chest proudly, Mikan and Lala widen their eyes slightly. On the other hand, Rito gaped at the statement, his face slowly turned white. The orange hair boy quickly ran up to his brother.

"W-w-why did you do that ?"-his voice was shaken, everyone could recognize that he was panicking."We can't let Saruyama get involved in this !"

"Don't worry Rito, I'll make sure not to tell anyone about this and besides…"-Saruyama lowered his head, gritting his teeth.

"…?"

"I'm so jealous of you right now, do you know that ! Damn it, you have a very pretty alien girl like Lala-chan for yourself to admire every time you spend time together at home !"-Saruyama yelled at him with anime tears rolled down his cheek."Look at Lala-chan, her breast, her waist and bust are the perfect combination in the entire universe and you just take it all to yourself even though you are just a guardian !"

Rito was taken aback and sweat dropped at his comical act and so did Ito. Lala looked at Saruyama in wonder as she wasn't fully understand what he was saying. Mikan just giggled at the sight, this trip just became more interesting and funnier than she thought.

"I'll tell you the truth, whether is Lala-chan is an alien or not I still like her because being with a girl who has a perfect curve like Lala-chan is every man dream, my dream ! That's why…"-Saruyama's eyes burned with determination and somehow Rito could see that his eyes also sparkling with excitement."Don't worry, I'll help you by keeping Lala-chan away from the boys in our school so I can be with her for the whole day !"

"Saruyama, even if you say that, you just declare you like Lala because of her appearance."-the orange hair boy commented.

"You sure talk big you know."-Ito said nonchalantly.

"Doesn't matter, Lala-chan is a bishoujo and I like pretty girl but if you don't approve…"-he sat down making a dogeza gesture."Then please give Mikan-chan to me, brother-in-law !"

"Heh ?"-Mikan pointed at herself.

"No can't do."

"Sorry, that won't happen."

They both said unimpressed.

"Why ?!"

"Well, lots of reason….."-the orange hair boy replied while scratching his cheek and looked away.

"And that's that, Saruyama has officially known about your identity now, Lala."-Ito pointed his thumb at the said classmate."So from now on, besides from me and Rito, if you want to know more about Earth culture or other stuff just ask Saruyama."

"Um~, ok~ !"

"Lala-chan."-Saruyama looked up to the pink hair girl, his eyes were glittering and he could almost feel his heart was racing, touching by the sweet girl.

"But I think I prefer Rito more~."

She went and happily hugged the orange hair boy's arm which caused him to jump up in surprised and flustered, he didn't saw this coming.

"Lala-chan !"-seeing this, Saruyama cried with anime-like tears burst out from his eyes making a curved line."Damn you, Rito ! Why is Lala-chan so into you ?! I'm so jealous !"

Giving them some spaces to argue, Ito stood next to his little sister who was giggling at the sight. Mikan noticed that and turned to him.

"Ito, is it alright to let Saruyama-san know ? I thought you would want to keep Lala-san's identity a secret."

"He's a good friend, so it's fine."-the brown hair boy answered with a thin smile on his face."After all, I trust him and so does Rito."

"Heh~."-Mikan looked at Saruyama, one finger playing with her hair.

"You don't seem surprised much at this."

"Well…I'm not really, because I already told Lala-san's story to mom and daddy."-she smiled and calmly said."And they were fine with it."

Ito quickly turned his head to Mikan, gaping and giving her the "what did you do ?" look. Just like his brother a few seconds ago, Ito's face slowly turned white.

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, things has become more complicated in a comical way.**

 **I had a really fun time writing this chapter, using Saruyama as a factor to pull off comedy and described the interaction between him and the twin.**

 **So what do you think about their shopping trip ?**

 **Leave me a review if you please. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11: Crisis-Clothe

**Sorry for the late update, I been busy with university's work and other stuff. It's almost 2a.m right now and I'm getting so sleepy. Anyway, this is the third chapter for arc 3.  
**

 **Answering to reader's review:**

 **magic135: well, I agree with you. S** **ome moments in that episode is still funny though but the way Yui acted is really not to my liking, I guess that episode was for comedy only. Anyway,** **thanks and don't worry, I will not let Yui make an appearance like in the anime.**

 **Guest: really thankful to know that you feel curious about Rito's story, keep reading and you will (slowly) know about his past soon enough.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11** **: ~Crisis_Clothe~**

Two boys leaned their back against the wall and crouched down on their feet. A black, depressing aura surrounding them. Ito and the orange hair boy sighed as they hang their head in defeat. It seemed like their effort in keeping the Devilukean princess's identity was on the verge of being thrown down the drain…or was it ?

"Mikan, you could at least tell us beforehand." -Ito said weakly.

"And here I was planning to tell them after this trip."-Rito also said, his voice was just as weak as his brother.

"Why are you both look so depressing ? Mom and daddy said that they were fine with this."

Mikan gazed at them with half-opened eyes, still has no idea why her brothers looked like this after she told them that she had informed their parents about Lala and her current predicament. And seriously though, even they were going to tell them after they went back home so what she had done didn't have any different.

"Besides, I don't think they would tell this to anyone."

"I know that."-the twin spoke at the same time.

"Heh ?"-Mikan blinked twice at the word.

"But still, I want to tell them with my own words."-Rito stood up, rubbing the back of his head."I mean Lala is my responsibility, so at least I should be the first one to tell mom and dad…..I don't want to hide this from them."

….Rito…

Mikan looked up to the orange hair boy, amazed by how honest her brother is. She recalled back to the night when he first told her and Ito about Lala. At that time, she was worried, thinking that Rito was having another hallucination but after seeing the pink hair girl the next day, she knew that her brother was telling the truth and she felt relief.

The little girl's cheek redden as she understood that from the beginning, Rito had no intention of hiding this from his family.

"…..?"

Seeing Mikan blushed a little, the boy raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong ? Your cheek is a little red."

"Hihi~, you really make me proud of you, you know that onii-chan ?"-a warm smile formed on her lip.

Ito stood up and let out a small sigh.

"Well, if you already told them then I guess there's nothing we can do about that."-he gently patted on Mikan's head."Let's go back to enjoy this trip, shall we."

The three turned back to the pink hair girl and Saruyama, the twin raised an eyebrow at the black hair boy as they saw him talking with Lala. It seemed like those two were having an interesting conversation. However, upon hearing the content, soon Ito and the orange hair boy sweat dropped.

"ne Lala-chan, can you transform your clothe like you did back at Rito's house ? I want to know how can you do that !"

Saruyama leaned toward to the Devilukean's princess. He was full of excitement, hoping the pretty Lala would agree to his request.

"Saruyama, don't ask something like that to Lala."-Rito said as he tab Saruyama's shoulder, stopping him from leaning anymore closer to the alien girl."what are you trying to make her do ?"

"Ok~."-came a replied from the girl.

"…?"

The boys raised an eyebrow at Lala who was smiling brightly. As they both tried to progress the word she just said, Saruyama's expression slowly turned into a happy, grateful ones while Rito has the opposite. Much to the orange hair boy's horror, Lala actually agreed to that ridiculous request of his friend.

"Wait, Lala, you don't need to…actually no, you mustn't do what he asked."-he raised up a hand in front of the girl giving the sign "no" to emphasize his word.

"It's fine~, Saruyama-kun just want to see how Peke's ability work…"-Lala looked over the orange hair boy's shoulder, her emerald green eyes met Saruyama's black ones and her usual sweet voice followed after that."Right, Saruyama-kun ?"

Saruyama once again felt his heart raced as he stared at those pretty eyes. In his view, the place where Lala standing was covered in a pink background with a lot of sparkle effect, he saw all the beautiful flowers lied around the hard ground which making the girl in front of him became a lot more gorgeous. Then, something unexpected happened, Lala slowly unbutton her blazer and blushed, left it fell down on the ground…...

….Lala-chan...

Needless to say, he was day dreaming right on the spot after hearing the answer from the alien girl.

Rito eyes widen a little, he thought he just heard Saruyama laugh quietly. Turning to his friend, the orange hair boy sweat dropped at the sight. Saruyama was raising both hands and moved the fingers like he was grabbing something, smiling in an indecent manner.

"…eheheh~, so soft~."

"Saruyama ?"

Now everyone started giving him the weird looks.

"…oppai~.."

"Hey."

Saruayama didn't listen, he just stood there, smiling and groping the air. Not until Ito snapped his finger in front of his face twice that his mind drifted back to Earth.

"Huh ? wha-what did you just say ?"

"Lala asks you if you want to see Peke's transform ability."-the brown hair boy said.

"Well yeah, Lala-chan please show me~."

"Alright then~, Peke."

"Roger."

Peke the hairclip emitted a faint light covering the alien girl. In a blink of an eye, a big hat appeared on Lala's head and so did the alien-like costume with yellow pattern that Saruyama saw she was wearing the first time she went to Sainan highschool.

"Eh ?"-Saruyama stared at the costume with both eyes twitching and jaw dropped.

This was not what he expected.

Lala indeed using Peke to transform her clothe like he wished. But that moment happened so fast that his eyes couldn't follow. Yup, Saruyama was disappointed by the fact that Peke replaced the clothe too quick for him to enjoy the hidden paradise that boys at his age desired behind that alien costume.

Well, that's how alien technology, Lala's creation works, convenient just like Rito had complimented.

Saruyama hang his head in defeat, he looked to his right when a hand patted on his shoulder. Ito, who stood next to him, was having this "satisfied yet ?" grin on his face.

"Not what you were expecting, huh ?"

The black hair boy sighed.

….my plan to see Lala-chan's three sizes is ruined.

"What wrong with Saruyama-kun ?"-Lala asked.

"Don't mind him, things just didn't live up to his expectation."

"Eh~, Saruyama-kun doesn't like this dress ?"-this sentence caused Saruyama to flinch.

Lala glanced down at her dress mode but stopped as Saruyama quickly raised up his hand.

"No ! That's not it, Lala-chan. It looks….fine to me."

"Really~ !"-the alien girl clasped her hand."Then Saruyama-kun, would you like to know more about Peke's ability ?"

"….?"-Saruyama looked up at her.

"I can analyze and transform into any kind of outfit."-said the big hat named Peke."But I still need to gather the data of Earthling's costume first anyway."

Hearing that, an idea came up to his mind.

"That's right, why don't we do that !"-Saruyama spoke out loud."Gathering more data for Peke so Lala can have more outfits to conveniently change into !"

Mikan, Ito and the orange hair boy raised an eyebrow at him while Lala widen her eyes in surprised as a realization struck her.

"Oh~, why haven't I think of that."-the alien girl placed a finger on her cheek, and briefly glanced at the street."Peke, are you up to it ?"

"Yes, just give me the word Lala-sama."

"Alright~."

Lala looked out the crowded street, there were many people with many different kind of costumes and clothes they were wearing.

"Rito~, what kind of outfit should I choose to imitate ?"-Lala asked looking back at the orange hair boy.

Now that was a good question.

Rito placed a hand on his chin while looking up the sky. Even though they decided to get some new clothes for Lala in this trip, yet that question hasn't even crossed their mind and Peke also needed to have more data of Earthling's outfit for Lala. Plus, the day was still long and they still have plenty of times to wander around so it might be a good time to let Peke do this. But Rito was not an expert in fashion and not in girl's clothe so what should he suggest ?

"I don't know, Lala."-the orange hair boy scratched his cheek."Just take your time and pick one to your liking."

"I know, I know ! Lala-chan, let me pick one for you !"-Saruyama's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm."Bunny gir-"

Ito quickly covered the idiot's mouth, stopping him from saying a full sentence.

"Don't mind him Lala, just choose a feminine ones."-Ito said with Saruyama struggling in his arms.

"Feminine ? Hm."

Moving her eyes back on the wide street, Lala caught a person wearing some type of clothe that looked strange to her.

"Then maybe that one, Peke~."

"Roger that."

[Form change]

A faint light covered Lala's body and this time Saruyama didn't even waste one second to stare intensely at the changing form. Then again, he failed.

"Here~, how is this ?"

 **Costume 1: business suit.**

"Lala, that's a male outfit."

"I don't see how it feminine, it's the opposite, Lala."

"Well~, I never seen this outfit before so I want to try it on."

"…"-Mikan has no comment.

"Damn it, why can't I see the hidden paradise ?"-Saruyama muttered while looked down in defeat.

"Hm~, then how about this ?"

 **Costume 2: police outfit.**

"No, that's wrong too."

"We're looking for a normal ones, Lala."-Ito shook his head."Wearing that will only get more attention."

"…..."-still no comment from the little sister.

"Hm~, so this one is no good."

"No, Lala-chan ! It's good ! It's really good ! So sexy, please arrest me~ !"

Feeling his instinct kicking in, Saruyama charged at the alien girl with a big pink heart shape in his eyes and eventually got hold and pressed down on the ground by both Ito and Rito.

"Don't mind him, just keep looking."-Ito said nonchalantly.

 **Costume 3: ninja.**

"Where did that outfit come from ?"

"Cosplay ?"-Ito and Saruyama said in unison.

"….."-Mikan sweat dropped.

"Hm~, how about that one ?"

 **Costume 4: princess dress.**

"This doesn't look right."

"Lala-chan, so kawaii !"-Saruyama stared dreamily at the alien girl.

"Lala-san, no one dresses up like that on the street."-the first comment of Mikan.

"Yeah, too bright."

 **Costume 5: dinosaur cloth.**

"Kyaa ! Lala-chan, so moe !"

"This one's not right either."

"It's cute."-the second comment from the little sister.

"Mikan, we're looking for a normal dress here."

"Hm~."-Lala placed a finger on her cheek.

 **Costume 6: nurse outfit.**

"Nurse ?...oh, there's a hospital near here."

"Hm….close, someone might wear that."

"Lala-chan….nurse outfit….Lala-chan…"-Saruyama started to breathe rapidly, his face redden.

"…ahaha.."-Mikan giggled wryly.

 **Costume 7: bunny girl.**

"Deny !"-the twin spoke crossing their hands making an "x" shape.

"…"

"Saruyama-san, you're drooling."

"I know, Mikan-chan."-he wiped it, still eyeing the figure of Lala in the outfit."The scenery in front of me is so amazing."

She sweat dropped.

"This one then~."

Another light spread around Lala and faded away revealing a short white dress with a small light green jacket on top.

"Oh, that's cute !"-Mikan widen her eyes slightly.

Saruyama gave the alien girl a thump up and Ito nodded, agreeing with his sister compliment.

"Really~?"-Lala turned to Rito and made a spin around in circle while stretched out her arms."So Rito~, what do you think ?"

"It's…..well…"-the orange hair boy scratched his cheek, smiled at her."It suits you."

Lala smiled happily, feeling her heart just thump up in a beat. Then, she hold his arms and pulled him out of the alley in high spirit. The others quickly followed them.

"All right, let's continue the trip then~."

"Lala, slow down !"-Rito told Lala as her walking pace almost made the orange hair boy lost balance.

The shopping trip continued…

…

After buying a few clothes for Lala, the group wandered along a crowded street without a clear destination in mind. This trip was mainly made for them to get some costumes for the pink hair girl and help her have a better look at Earth's culture. Now they had done, there were nothing more to do besides from walking around the district, going home was not a good choice since they has nothing to do today.

Mikan suggested going to another clothe store for her to take a look at. Rito and Ito were trying to think of some new places to visit but nothing came up in their minds so far. And Saruyama was….humming, extremely enjoyed the trip with his friends and the two cute girls although he still felt a little jealous when seeing Lala clung to the orange hair boy, especially when her bosom kept touching his arm.

…I want to change place with Rito.

Yup, he was enjoying the trip all right.

Saruyama motioned his eyes toward Lala's waving tail. Unexpectedly, something caught his eyes.

Lala's shoes were disappearing like water's evaporation and a faint noise emitted from it at the same time.

"Hm ?"-Rito looked down at his feet as he heard some strange noises coming from under Lala. His face slowly paled when he saw what was happening."La-Lala….y-your clothes…."

Holes appeared everywhere on her dress and spreading non-stop. Ito widen his eyes at the strange phenomenon.

"What's going on ?!"-Mikan said as she had a worried look on her face.

"Peke, what happen ?"-Lala looked up at her hairclip.

Seeing Peke's expression, the whole group soon realized that the robot was exhausted and tired.

"I….I'm really sorry, Lala-sama"-he spoke under his breathe."It seems I'm running out of energy, all the continuous changing forms earlier took more energy than I thought."

"What will happen if your energy runs out ?"-the little sister asked.

"I won't be able to maintain the costume shape."

Mikan was slightly paled at the answer.

"But you can hold it off with the remaining energy, right ? How much time do we still have ?"-Ito quickly got into the most important point.

"If this keeps up then in three more minutes…."

The whole group listened carefully, they already knew what will happen in the outcome but hoped it wasn't what they thought.

"…..Lala-sama will be totally naked…"

Mikan, Ito along with the orange hair boy turned completely paled while Saruyama froze as the image of a pink hair girl without clothe in the middle of public appeared in his head.

….Lala-chan…no clothe….

"Saruyama, stop putting your head on nine clouds !"-Rito shook his friend from going too far in his own word.

"This is not good."-Ito placed a hand on his chin, tried to think of something fast."Absolutely not good."

"Ahahah~, well this is problematic."-Lala rubbed her head, smiling sheepishly.

Just as things hadn't been worst enough, a piece of cloth on Lala's chest fell down and disappeared but what lying under that piece of cloth caused the whole group to stared in wide eyes, jaw dropped.

Lala's pantsu just dissolved into nothingness.

Rito went extremely paled at this point, Saruyama gulped with his eyes nearly popped out from its holes. Noticing that people were watching, the orange hair boy quickly grabbed Lala's hand and ran away with the three also followed.

"Quick ! We have to fine somewhere to hide you !"

As their ran, more people noticed them and the state of Lala's dress.

"Ohoho~."

"Look at that !"

"Is that a new fashion ?"

With more and more stared aiming at the girl, Rito took off his black hoodie and covered it around Lala which making her eyes caught his whole right arm was wrapped in bandage.

….hm ?...Rito's right arm is…..

"Lala, hold onto this !"-Rito's voice cut short the girl's thought.

"..um..ok~."

"Rito, we have to go into one of the stores here !"-Mikan said as she ran next to Lala, covering her left side from the staring.

Saruyama was running behind the group, hoping to cover her back from those guys on the street. But he himself was also having a hard time to move his eyes away from her slender body.

"Saruyama, don't distract yourself, look forward !"-Ito told him as he was busy covering Lala's rightside.

"R-right !"

Saruyama looked forward, but that didn't last for long though. His eyes drifted back to the alien girl almost instantly.

"There ! Run into that store !"-Mikan pointed at an opened clothe store.

Following her finger, the whole group sprinted into the place. Fortunately, they found an unused changing room by the time Peke's energy has completely run out and fell into deep sleep.

"Lala-san, wear this for the time being."-Mikan gave her a bag containing Lala's clothe that they just bought not long ago and closed the curtain."I'll go look for some more clothe for you so wait here."

"Thank you~."

"Then everyone wait here, too."

Receiving a nod from the three boys, Mikan turned around and went off.

Rito and Ito let out a long sigh in relief as the crisis has passed.

"….that was close."-Ito wiped a sweat from his forehead.

"Yeah, it was really dangerous back there, all those stares just keep aiming at Lala-chan."

"Saruyama, what you said doesn't match with your expression right now, you know that ?"

Exactly like the orange hair boy said, Saruyama was grinning, a little too happy to get angry at the people who stared at the alien girl.

"Eheheh, sorry."-Saruyama scratched his head, smiling.

"Well, while we're waiting for Lala, I'll go buy a drink for now, you two wait here."-Ito said as he walked out the store.

Rito watched his brother's back until he gone from his sight. Turning back to Saruyama, the boy saw his friend was looking around the store. Now that he mentioned it, they were in a girl cloth store.

"Hey Rito, look at this dress."-Saruyama took out a really short pink dress from the hanging."I bet Lala-chan looks even prettier in this one."

His mind flew on nine clouds again which making the boy sweat dropped. After a moment, Saruyama looked down at the dress.

His eyes…..soften with a thin smile on his face.

"You know, I really enjoy this trip with you guys….I really am."

"….."

"Knowing more about Lala-chan, getting more friendly with Mikan-chan…this day is one of my best days ever."

"…..thanks.."

Saruyama glanced at Rito who was looking at the dress he was holding, the orange hair boy's voice seemed soften.

"It must be tough for you huh, being a guardian to protect a princess."

"Yeah…..It's tough….but I'm not regret it."

Saruyama then glanced down at the boy's right hand.

"You worry about my hand ?"-Rito briefly raised up his right hand which was covered in bandage.

"Of course I'm worry."

"Thanks."

No more word were exchanged between the two boys. Saruyama put back the dress and placed both hands behind his back.

"Say….Rito, can I join with you ?"

"….?"

"Helping Lala-chan."

"…..that's…."

Rito stopped his word, looking at Saruyama. He was directing his narrowed eyes at the orange hair boy, Rito could tell by the look of it.

He was serious about this…

"Sure, but if the situation turns bad you have to be careful and try not to get involve with it, alright ?"

"Yes !"-Saruyama punched the air in excitement."Finally, my chance to get near Lala-chan has increased !"

That statement caused Rito to look at his friend in dumbfound.

"Don't worry, you can count on me Rito."-Saruyama quickly switched back to his serious mode but at the next second he raised up both hands in overjoyed.

Rito rubbed his head in silent, and yet…he smiled too.

Meanwhile, across the town, every male students in his class suddenly got jealous again for no reason.

Saruyama has truly achieved something greater than all the boys who idolized the alien girl.

…

Back to the cloth store, Rito stood waiting in front the changing room while Saruyama was busy with his mind went beyond the nine clouds.

But then he snapped back to reality as his vision caught a familiar figure walking into the cloth store.

…..hm ? It's that…..?

Saruyama's eyes drifted back to the orange hair boy who still waited for Lala and a smirk formed on his face.

Rito crossed his arms while waiting patiently for the alien girl and the others to come back. As Saruyama stopped being in his fantasy world, Rito noticed the store suddenly became a little quiet. He looked to his side to check on his friend but…

Saruyama was nowhere to be found…..

…Saruyama ?

At that moment, a familiar voice spoke up…..

"Yuuki-kun ?"

Rito looked behind him, he recognized that voice. It was so soft, so feminine with a hint of kindness.

It belonged to a kind girl who was also a person the boy knew well.

"Sairenji ?"

* * *

 **Author's note: I think I made this chapter mainly comedy with Saruyama is the main factor to do all the work. Now that his role is starting to become bigger than in the canon, more interesting stuff will come to the story.**

 **So what do you think about this chapter ?**

 **Leave me a review if you please, I'm appreciate it. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12: Confession-Upcoming trouble

**The new chapter is here, please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12** **: ~Confession_Upcoming trouble~**

"Sairenji ?"

The orange hair boy widen his eyes slightly at the girl who stood in front of him. Sairenji also has the same surprised expression when she recognized the boy. It was such a coincidence that they met each other.

However, the two didn't expected that the place where they met was a cloth store for girl. With Saruyama was nowhere to be seen, Mikan and Ito has gone to some other places, Rito felt somewhat uneasy as right now he was the only boy who was standing in this store.

This was really awkward….for both of them.

"Yuuki-kun, why are you here ?"

"I'm-"

Rito was about to say the reason but got interrupted by the alien girl's cheerful voice.

"Ta da~! I tried this on."-Lala happily said as she opened the curtain to show the long white dress she just put on."Rito~, how do I look ?"

Both turned their eyes to Lala. Sairenji widen her eyes a little when she saw her new classmate stepped out from the changing room, Rito just blinked and rubbed his cheek.

"…um….."

Didn't know what to say in this circumstance, Rito motioned his eyes between Lala and Sairenji, thinking of some words to explain. As Lala saw him looked back and forth, she looked behind him and also got surprised at the arrival of a friend.

"Oh~ ? Haruna."

"Lala-san ?"

This was another surprise for Sairenji, she didn't expect the transfer student would also be here with the orange hair boy. Sairenji tried to keep calm and although the blue hair girl didn't show it on the outside, the anxious feeling inside her slowly rose. She could almost feel her heart were throbbing so hard at this moment.

….w-what are they doing here ?

"…um…..c-could it be that you two are…."

"Lala-san, I brought you some more clothes here."-came the voice of the little sister.

Mikan appeared next to Lala with another bag holding on her hands. Then, she looked up to Sairenji as the girl noticed another person was standing near the orange hair boy.

"Hm ?"-both girl blinked as their eyes met.

Understanding the questioning look of Mikan, the orange hair boy decided to speak up, breaking this awkward situation of him….and Sairenji.

"Ah, Mikan, this is Sairenji Haruna."-he told her while stretching his hand toward the blue hair girl."She is my classmate."

The boy started introducing his younger sister to the blue hair girl. Meanwhile, outside the cloth store, Saruyama was secretly watching them from behind the glass window. The black hair boy let out a small sigh and looked back to the street behind him, feeling a little let down as the moment he set up for both Sairenji and Rito has been interrupted.

…there goes my effort for him…

When he saw Sairenji walked into the store, a thought came into his head. Maybe if he left these two have a conversation alone, Rito might remember something back in his time in middle school, a feeling or an emotion that he was no longer remember ?

With that idea in mind, Saruyama sneaked out.

However…

… _ **.What are you talking about, Saruyama ? I don't have any feelings for Sairenji….…..**_

Those words that the orange hair boy spoke of that time resurfaced in Saruyama's head. He glanced over his shoulder to look back inside the store one more time. Right there, Rito was standing next to Mikan and Lala while scratching his cheek letting the little sister to explain the circumstance to Sairenji. There was no sign of fluster nor blush on his face, it was completely normal, he gave out a thin smile at least.

Turning his head back to the street, Saruyama let out another sigh.

…I think I'm just wasting my time here.

Suddenly something cold touched his cheek causing the boy to jump up in surprised…and panic.

"Ah ! No, I didn't mean to peek or anything ! I just want to help out a friend…."-Saruyama raised up both hands defensively.

"Calm down, will you ?"-Ito stared at him with half-opened eyes, a cold drink was in his hand."What are you doing out here ?"

"Well…."

Saruyama grinned and pointed a finger into the store, Ito's eyes followed the direction he was pointing to and he raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Sairenji ?"-the brown hair boy glanced at the person next to him."Are you trying to make some spaces for her and Rito to talk ?"

"Yeah, but my effort is still useless, he doesn't seem to remember anything."

"Then you don't need to make him remember, just let thing be the way it is. Besides, I don't think making him spend time talking with Sairenji is a way to help him remember about the things before."

"…"

"And…with the way my brother is now, what do you expect him to do when he remembers everything ?"

Saruyama didn't respond, he stayed silent at Ito's remark. His friend has a point, Rito didn't remember anything about his time in middle school besides from the part that he used to study in the same class as Sairenji. So what was the point for Saruyama to do this meaningless act ?

"…you right, I guess I should stop doing this."-he scratched the back of his head while looked at the group of three girls talking in the store."It felt like I was forcing both of them."

"Well, I never said that I disagree with this, this is up to you."

"Then what about you ?"

"…..?"-Ito raised an eyebrow at Saruyama."What about me ?"

"What do you think about this ?"

"…It's fine, isn't it ? Whether if you keep doing this or not. He knows…...I know that somebody is worrying about us."-Ito gave a light punch to Saruyama's arm, both smirked at each other."You just keep doing what you think is best for him and I'll just do what I think is best for him, me and my friends…that's all it needs to be."

Saruyama looked back at the orange hair boy. His friend was right, it didn't matter if Saruyama tried to help the boy gets back the part of his life that he perhaps didn't even notice that it has been forgotten. He just need to do what best for himself and for his friends. Saruyama felt his mind became clearer, refresher with all the worries gone thanks to Ito's word. That brown hair boy sure knew how to make him stop worrying too much.

"Oh, and here."-Ito suddenly gave him a soft drink from a small plastic bag he was carrying."Have a drink."

"What ?"

"I thought you must be quite exhausted and thirsty and from all those excitement back then. Don't worry, this one is on me."

"Thanks."-Saruyama took the drink while his eyes briefly peaked inside the bag.

There were another three cans of soft drink inside it, one of it was an orange juice, Rito's favorite drink. This made Saruyama to widen his eyes slightly since not just for him, Ito also bought the drinks for the whole group.

Not only the younger brother but the older ones also really cared about the people around him.

"Come on, let's go back to them."

Ito walked into the store with Saruyama followed behind him, a broadly smile could be seen on the black hair boy's face.

…

"I see, so everyone is showing Lala-san around the town."

"That's right, since today is Sunday and Lala-san just returned from abroad so we use this opportunity to show her."

Currently, Mikan was explaining the trip to Sairenji who has joined in the group after the meeting at the cloth store. They were sitting at another outdoor restaurant, several drinks that Ito bought were also placed on the table. Peke was sleeping in Mikan's arms to recharge his energy, the girls were chatting about Lala and other topics which Mikan had to think of an excuse to fill in the alien girl's background when the subject of the conversation aim to her. The boys were sitting at one side of the table and discussed which place they should take Lala to next but so far nothing has come up in their mind yet.

"So…can I call you Haruna-san ?"-asked the little sister.

"Ah, yes, please do, Mikan-chan."

"Where were you going today, Haruna ?"-Lala asked her.

"Well, I was going to buy some clothes and ingredients….."-Sairenji's voice slowly trailed off as she looked at the orange hair boy."….and then I met everyone."

The three girls turned their eyes to the trio, they seemed really focus on the topic. Lala's eyes suddenly darted up to a huge sign with two images of dolphin hanging on top of one of the tall building when it went into her view. Needless to say, it caught her interest.

"Ne, what's that ?"-the alien girl pointed a finger at it.

Sairenji and others looked at the direction she was pointing at.

…oh, the newly built aquarium….

"that's the aquarium."-the little sister answered."It's a place with lots of fish and sea animals."

"Eh~, that sounds like fun."-Lala turned to the orange hair boy, a hint of lightheartedness reflected in her emerald green eyes."Rito, let's go there."

"Sure."

"Yay~ ! Come on, Rito !"-Lala jumped up happily and grabbed the boy's arm.

Seeing this caused Sairenji's heart to throb slightly, she glanced down at her own cup.

….am I interrupting them ?

"Haruna-san's coming too, right ?"

"Heh ?"-realizing that herself was lost in thought, Sairenji quickly discarded the thought and looked up to Mikan who was asking."Me ? But, is it alright to…."

"Why not, let's go, Haruna~ !"

"Well, that decides it."-Ito stood up."Let's go to the aquarium and then we'll head home, I think we has shown Lala all the places in the district for now."

"Alright everyone !"-Saruyama raised a fist and punched up the air."Let's go !"

The group left the restaurant in high spirit. However, that enthusiasm didn't last long…

"Kyaaa !"

A scream coming from a young woman nearby caught their attentions and the people who passed by. Apparently, she saw a black bug just threw itself on her shoulder, this act caused the young woman to jump up in surprised and frighten. She hastily wiped it away and that black bug felt on the ground, and oddly enough, it made a 180 degrees turn to landed and ran extremely fast toward…Lala.

While the girls widen their eyes at the sight, alarm bell started ringing inside Ito and the orange hair boy's head. After what had happened to Sairenji yesterday, they had become more cautious whenever an unexpected circumstance like this occurs. Rito quickly stood before Lala and Sairenji while Ito just calmly observed that black bug. But suddenly, Saruyama walked pass Rito and stood in front of him, stretching both hands like he was shielding his friend and the alien girl.

…this is it ! My chance to protect Lala-chan and Mikan-chan !

And who would have thought….

He jumped at that small bug to catch it. Strangely, that bug made a quick change in direction and the result in this outcome was that Saruyama hit his face on the ground due to shocked. That black bug increased its speed and ran toward the group which made the girls shiver at it. With its momentum, the bug kicked its leg and jumped at the pink hair girl but its attempt ended up in failure as somebody shoes appeared in its vision.

Then the vision of the small animal went black….

Everyone stared at the blue sky watching the pool bug which was blew away by a smooth kick from Ito and disappeared in one of the pure white clouds. After that, the brown hair boy and Rito came to Saruyama and lifted him up.

"Are you okay ?"-Rito asked.

"I'm ok."-Saruyama rubbed his nose and gave the twin a thumb up.

His high spirit was still the same.

Sairenji blinked, things just happened so fast that she almost couldn't catch up with the situation. Yet she could feel her cheeks were slowly burning hot while looking at the orange hair boy. Back at that moment, she was a little nervous when hearing someone scream but when the orange hair boy stood before her, both sides on her cheeks redden. She didn't know why he did that, somehow it felt like Rito was trying to protect her and Lala from that weird bug.

…Yuuki-kun….

Sairenji's blue eyes glittering as she placed a hand to her chest, she could tell her heart was racing. But the girl didn't seem to know….

"Haruna, your face is red ? What wrong ?"

This expression of Sairenji, however, was noticed by Lala.

"Heh ?!...uh…no…nothing !"-she flustered.

The boys looked back at her. Knowing Rito was looking at her direction, Sairenji just turned her face away in embarrassment.

A question mark appeared on Rito's head as he has no idea what was happening on that side.

"Rito."-Saruyama patted on his shoulder, giving him a thumb up and smirked."Good job, buddy."

"Huh ?"-more question marks appeared on his head.

"Alright, the problem has been solved."-Ito went ahead of the group."Let's head to that aquarium."

With that said, the whole group continued their trip to the newly added destination in Sainan tour, the last location in the shopping trip.

But little did they know, the black bug that was sent sky high by Ito was far more troublesome than its looks.

….

In a dark corner somewhere in the peaceful town, a man furiously slammed his hand on the computer board, in front of his narrowed eyes was a big screen with various advanced technology attached to it on each side. The man looked at the screen now has the word "error" on it, he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Damn it, I almost had the princess !"-he yelled, his loud voice echoed around the place where he stood alone."Why is the signal suddenly got cut off like that ?!"

He asked himself that question and tried to think off an answer. It happened too fast that he couldn't see or even knew what has happened to one of his creation, a remote control weapon in a form of a bug. The man frowned but then he widen his eyes as a thought come to his mind.

…I get it, this must be the guardian's doing !

The corner of his mouth twisted into a wicked smile, he laugh and sat back on his chair, placing an elbow on the chair handle to support his chin.

…...I see, even in the form of a small bug my weapon still couldn't fake that mysterious Earthling, huh.

The man had underestimated him, he didn't care to find information about this mysterious individual, now he realized he was careless. He thought that nobody could strong and brave enough to protect the princess of the mightiest race in the galaxy, especially a weak Earthling. But despite saying that, he wasn't sure if this guardian was an Earthling or not. He just based on what the king of Deviluke had said to all the candidates. Thinking back to the way the man used to approach the Devilukean's princess, he thought that perhaps he was too hastily. And so another idea popped up in his head.

…..very interesting, maybe I should take a different way to approach my soon-to-be wife.

He pressed a button on the advanced computer and a picture appeared on the big screen, the picture that show the faces of the whole group of Lala.

…..but first, I need to find and get rid of that annoying guardian now that I know how he's capable of.

Each face of the alien girl's group reflected on his eyes. He remembered three of them, the face of the trio that stood in front the girls to protect them from his weapon.

"Now…which one of the boys here is my wife's guardian ?"

….

 **[Location: Aquarium]**

"Waahhh~~ ! It's pretty !"-Lala's green eyes sparkled in joyful as she saw all the newly, strange animal that she has never seen before."There are so many kinds of fish here."

"Yup, welcome to the miniature word of the ocean."-Ito nodded in satisfaction at the alien girl's expression and so did Saruyama.

Seeing Lala smiled like that, this place was definitely worth as the last visited location in Sainan tour.

"Ah~, look at that ! So cute~."-Lala spun around in circle to see all the fish in this place."Ah~, I've never seen that one before."

"This entire building is the aquarium itself, it's really big so be careful Lala or you might get lost."

Rito told the alien girl but it seemed like she doesn't pay attention as Lala was enjoying the place.

"Look~~, this place is so huge, Haruna."-Lala happily waved at Sairenji.

Sairenji smiled and waved back to her as a respond. Right now in her eyes, the transfer student was acting cutely like a child.

"Lala-san is really like a little child."-she couldn't help but giggled a bit.

"…um…Sairenji…"

A voice called out to Sairenji and she turned her head to the direction it came from. Rito was standing next to her.

"Sorry for forcing you to come here with us."-the orange hair scratched his cheek."I hope we didn't waste your time."

"No, it's alright."-Sairenji shook her head gently."I like this kind of place."

"I see."-he smiled at her."Thank you, Sairenji."

Sairenji blushed at the word, she looked down, hoping the boy didn't see that.

"N-not…not at all."-the girl stammered a little and her eyes soften."Actually…I'm sorry, too."

"…?"

"I just hope that I didn't interrupt the two of you, Yuuki-kun."

"…..the two of….who ?"-Rito blinked but he quickly understood the meaning of those words."No, it's not true."

Sairenji looked up to him, her eyes widen a little.

"Sairenji must had heard the rumor about Lala being my bride, right ? That's not true, it's a false rumor, I see Lala as an important friend and that's everything."

To others, the orange hair boy's word might not be enough to make them believe him. But to Sairenji, those words brought a faint glint of light to her feeling because Rito was looking directly to her eyes and he was serious.

…it was a false rumor ?

"Really ?"

"Really, so don't let it bother you."-Rito turned his eyes to a shoal of small fish swimming around in the nearest fish tank."…and besides, I think it would be more fun to do stuff like this with many people."

"I see."-putting a hand to her chest, a warmed smile formed on Sairenji's lip."That's…good to hear."

That honest answer the boy gave Sairenji really made her feel happy. However, the two didn't notice the person behind them has heard everything.

Hearing the entire conversation between Sairenji and her brother, Mikan watched the two in amusement.

….oho~, now this is surprising.

…..well, well, well ! Look like Rito just takes another step forward in Sairenji's heart. Great job, buddy !

Of course, there was never one person who heard the conversation. Saruyama was standing behind Mikan and he nodded his head in satisfaction, smirking. The two looked at the boy and Sairenji in amusement.

"Rito~ !"-Lala called out to the boy while running up to him."I don't see any corbicula here."

"Sorry Lala, the corbicula species only live in freshwater clam, the aquarium don't have them."-the boy replied.

"Really ? Then what about mackerel and saury ?"

"Lala, I found them, those fishes are on the upper floor !"

Ito popped his head out from a corner and called her. Apparently, he was following her around to keep an eye on the enthusiasm girl while Rito was talking to Sairenji. Lala immediately turned and followed the brown hair boy. Seeing the opportunity to let Sairenji and the orange hair boy alone, Saruyama ran after them.

"Well, I'm going there with them."-he waved back to the boy."I'll see you guys later."

Mikan walked pass the two and she also has the same intention.

"I'll follow Lala-san."

Receiving a nod from Rito, she ran off and disappeared at the corner. Rito took a good look around the fish tank next to him, hadn't had a clue about Saruyama and Mikan's motive. As for Sairenji, she widen her eyes slightly as she realized something.

Here they are, alone…

With nothing will interrupt them…

Sairenji finally has the chance to tell him the feeling that rose within her.

She could finally say the word that she has wanted to tell him after hearing what Lala had told her yesterday.

And to do that…right now, the only thing she needs is courage.

"Sairenji, let's go to that side."-Rito pointed a finger at the place ahead of him and walked away.

In that moment, something the boy has never thought of happened.

He felt a hand tug at his sleeve from behind, holding it firmly like the person didn't want to let him go but slowly soften the grasp as that person was hesitating.

"Yuuki-kun…"-Sairenji spoke in a small voice while looking down at her feet, Rito briefly looked at her over his shoulder."….I have something I've been wanting to tell you."

The boy widen his eyes slightly in surprised.

"….about yesterday…"

"…"-the orange hair boy turned to her and listened.

"Lala-san told me that…you found me and brought me to the nurse's office after I collapsed due to anemia."

Sairenji looked up, showing the boy a kind smile.

"So I want to say...….thank you, Yuuki-kun."

Rito stared into the girl's blue eyes, the two kept looking into each other eyes for a short time. Averting his vision a little, Rito rubbed his cheek and put on a thin smile.

"It's…it's nothing."

"And…"-the girl continued.

"…..?"

"Yuuki-kun…..I.."-Sairenji placed a hand to her chest, clenching it tight."…for a long time…I….."

The feeling inside Sairenji's heart rose, urging her to say the only word now appeared in her mind.

"I have always….."

The only word that she cherished deep down in her heart.

… _.I have always…..liked you…_

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, that marked the end of chapter 12. Wow, it took me some time to write the last part. I hope I described the character's feeling well enough.**

 **The trip continued but another trouble has come up and watched them from the dark. And look at what we had here, Sairenji has finally confessed !...or hasn't she ? I'll leave it to you guys to imagine.**

 **magic135: Thanks for the review, and of course I won't let them meet like the situation in the anime. Yui is in my top 5 favorite heroins of To Love Ru list** **and since I go for the harem route(not the kind of harem plan that Momo said in the canon)** **there is no way I won't let her fall in love Rito, I like her character and the conversation that she put up with Rito, it was hilarious.**

 **Well, that's about it. So what do you think about this chapter and this arc so far ?**

 **As always, please give me you thought about this story, I'm really thankful. I'll see you again in the next chapter.  
**


	13. Chapter 13: Memories-After the trip

**Good day everyone, here is the 5th chapter of arc 3.**

 **Please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13** **: ~Memories_After the trip~**

"Aww~! Those birds are so cute !"-Lala placed both hands on her cheek while watching the penguin."But they don't look so energetic."

The alien girl took out the pink device and just like last time, she pressed several buttons but this act was quickly stopped by the brown hair boy.

"Hold on, Lala ! There are a lot of people around us, don't give out your identity."

"Eh~, but those birds are moving so slow."-Lala turned to the penguin."Something must have been wrong with their health."

Ito raised an eyebrow at her, he chuckled and waved a hand to deny that thought of her.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with their health, that's just how the penguin move around in the environment."-he explained while Saruyama stood next to him, nodding his head in agreement with Ito's word."They look slow on land but under water they can swim with twice or more the speed that they usually use to walk on land."

"Oh~."-a hint of interest sparked in the girl emerald green eyes, she turned back to the penguin."If that's the case then I don't need to use this medicine for them."

Ito glanced at the screen of the device that Lala held up. There was an image of a bottle which contained many red balls inside.

"Medicine ?"-Ito asked, a little curious.

"That's right~, this is the secret remedy for Deviluke soldiers."-Lala raised the pink device close to the brown hair boy to take a closer look, Saruyama and Mikan also joined in to look at one of her creation."Berserker Deluxe, with just one pill it will increase your strength to be 100 times stronger."

The three widen their eyes slightly in amazement, the Devilukean's princess sure has some strange stuff.

While the group was stood there talking, an imminent threat slowly approached them from on top the ceiling above their head. It was hanging itself on the wall and flew toward the alien girl with steady speed.

…..

Somewhere in Sainan, a man laugh evilly in a dark room as he watched Lala and the others on the screen.

…now to eliminate the guardian and teleport Lala away from this filthy planet.

He pressed a button on the right handle of the chair he was sitting and two lock-on red dots appeared on Saruyama and Ito. Why did he choose to eliminate them both ? Since all three of the boys willing to take action to protect the girls, the mysterious man had come to a conclusion that he would eliminate the trio so he won't have to have a headache by guessing who the guardian was.

Such a villain he is….

The weapon hanging on the thread opened its mouth revealed a hole with several electric sparks slowly increasing in number.

"Now, be gone !"-he slammed the biggest button on the handle.

And…the screen suddenly went black.

"Huh ?! W-What's going on ?!"

…..

"How come there's a fly in this place ? Luckily that I found it just in time."-A staff member of the aquarium said to himself after hitting the fly-like appearance weapon whichmade it crash to the ground hard and broke into pieces.

Hearing a small "crack" sound Ito turned his head to the direction where the staff was standing. His eyes shifted to the tiny motionless weapon. Then, his eyes widen at a small ball of light forming in its mouth.

The danger wasn't over yet.

Before anyone could react, two balls shot toward his group. Fortunately, it missed as one shot went through Saruyama's sleeve and one hit directly to the wall.

Feeling something just touched him, Saruyama tilted his head to look and he found a small hole on his shirt.

"Huh ?Who made a hole on my shirt ?!"

No one was harmed but the device on Lala's hand was not as lucky as its owner. The shot hit the wall and rebounded itself at the device. Eventually, the device was thrown off from her hand.

The device landed near the penguin and the remedy appeared out of the blue like it was an act of god. Oddly enough, the impact caused the cap to burst open.

"Ah, the medicine !"-Mikan yelled out.

"Don't worry Mikan-chan, I'll take care of it !"-Saruyama hastily jumped over the barrier and ran to where the medicine was scattered but stumbled on one of the bills and hit the ground comically.

Lala and Mikan also went to help but the little sister stopped as her brother sat down on one knee and turned his face away from the ruckus.

"Ito, what are you doing ?"

"…"

The brown boy looked down at the crushed body of the fly and he discovered something, its body was completely made from solid materials.

….a machine ?

Bending his head down to look closer, immediately an alarm bell rang in his head as a figure charged at him. Didn't have time to turn his head, Ito quickly bended his entire upper body backward to dodge the attack of an enraged penguin. Like being overflowed with energy the animal flew past his face and thrust its pointy mouth into a fish tank.

A loud "crack" echoed in the place. Ito stared at the penguin in awe, if he didn't react in time, the animal's pointy mouth nearly did the same to his head like what it did to the fish tank. He looked back to the group and sweat dropped at the sight, the penguin were breaking out of their place andflying around causing people to run all over the place in no time to waste, the brown hair boy took what was left of the fly's body and ran to Saruyama and Mikan, adding them by picking up the scattered pills as fast as he could. While the penguins has swallowed most of it and became 100 times more energetic than usual, they didn't seem to attack anyone in their sight so the one almost hit Ito back then by chance was just too energetic to move around by its wing and ended up crashing the wall.

Even so, the most important thing right now was this machine inside his pocket. It was trying to attack him and Saruyama for real, and someone must has been behind this.

Ito let out a long sigh as he picked up the last pill.

….so much troubles for a peaceful trip.

…...

"…for a long time…I…."

"…"

"I have always….."

While a ruckus was happening right on top of their head, yet here, the hallway where Sairenji and the boy stood was filled with calm and silence.

"….I…have…al..ways…"

People around them seemed to fade away as Sairenji stared into the boy's eyes, trying her best to convey the feeling within her into words.

"….liked.."

"…?"

But for some reason, she was hesitating. Rito widen his eyes slightly as he, too, also noticed a hint of hesitation in her deep blue eyes. Sairenji turned her gaze down at their feet, she wanted to say it but couldn't. Those words, the feeling were right there but she couldn't let it out. Why was she hesitating ? Was it because she didn't have enough courage ?This was a good change for her to tell him her feeling. If she didn't say it right now, when would the next change come ?

…I have always…liked you….

To her, these words were important. However, it wasn't easy for her to say.

"…..I…liked….."

The blush on Sairenji's cheek became wider and redder like a strawberry, feeling embarrassed as this was the first try she confessed to her crush.

…come on, you can't hesitate right now, you can do this.

The girl thought to herself while looking up to Rito who was still listening carefully. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.

"Yuuki-kun…for a long time, I have always liked yo-"

" **Kyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaa ! Penguin's invasion !"**

A lot of scream broke in between Sairenji's words as many people ran past the two while in panic. Rito immediately turned his head toward them with a surprising look on his face.

…..penguin's invasion ?

Sairenji also stared at the people who were running to the exit in surprised. For a moment, they both seemed to forget about their own talk.

"Why are they running away ?"

Hearing that question, Rito turned his head to the corner where there was a stair that lead to the upper floor. A lot of people were rushing to here from that way and followed behind them were several small figures.

…..flying penguins ?!

As he recognized the birds, one of the penguins came at them with abnormal speed and a tick mark on its head. It was angering for some reasons that nobody knows. When seeing the birds flying to their way, Sairenji was speechless as she couldn't believe at the sight and still clueless of the strange event.

And what comes next really make her even more speechless and blushed furiously at the same time.

Rito wrapped both hands around the girl's waist and pressed her against the fish tank barrier to get out of the way of the coming birds. Sairenji felt all the embarrassment inside her raised dramatically since his face was so close, close enough that she could feel the warm from his skin. When the birds flew past them, Sairenji slowly moved her eyes to his and she could see a hint of red on his cheek. Rito was blushing, both hands and feet were trembling, steam burst out from his head due to embarrassment as he just realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry, Sairenji !"-he released his grasp and bowed his head down to apologize.

"N-no…it's alright."

"Well, a sweet moment for you there, Rito."-a third voice cut in.

They both turned to the source and they saw the rest of the group was standing there. Saruyama was grinning while rubbing a big bruise on his forehead, Mikan stared at them with half-opened eyes but the little sister lip curved up a little like she was smirking, seeing what her brother just did was really interesting. Ito sweat dropped or more like he was busy struggling with a penguin in his arms. Lala was hugging a penguin and it looked like the alien girl just came here, she had no clue of what Saruyama was talking about.

"Forget that, why are those birds on your hands ?"-the orange hair boy pointed to the penguin in Lala's arms."And why are they flying around the aquarium ?"

"Eheheh~, I'm sorry Rito, they accidently ate the Deviluke's medicine."-Lala smiled sheepishly."Now they are more energetic than usual."

"Medicine ?!"

Just when the boy finished his word, the penguin broke out from Lala's grasp and flew past him as he duck it in time.

"What kind of medicine ?!"-he paled a little, knowing that another trouble has come up.

"Well, Lala-san said it's the type that makes the user become more 100 times stronger than normal."-the little sister explained.

Several crowds of people ran past them again with a few over energetic penguins chased after. Clearly a sight like this was happening in the entire aquarium.

At this point, the orange hair boy could only let out a small sigh.

…..so much troubles for a peaceful trip.

…..

After spending the entire afternoon to catch the penguins and get the situation under control, the party traveled back to their home. At this time, the sky has changed its color from blue to a pure golden one. Through the illuminated light of the red orb that slowly descend to the other side of the world, several stars began to showed itself awaiting for the darkness to cover the vast horizon.

"Today is so much fun~."-Lala said in sing-song tone."Rito~, let's have a trip like this again."

"….ma-maybe later Lala."-the orange hair boy replied, still feeling a little pale after what happened."I'm so worn out right now."

"Running through the entire aquarium to catch some birds…..I never thought the best day in my life would end like this."-Saruyama spoke in an exhausted voice.

"Now I know what it felt like to run around in a 10 stories building with each floor is twice as big as our house."-Ito stopped to catch a breath, he's too, was quite exhausted."…only to catch some over energetic penguins that want to eat the type of fish they had never seen on the upper floors."

"You three should cheer up, at least we had bought some new clothes for Lala-san and showed her around the district."-Mikan said while walking ahead of the boys."So mission accomplished, the Sainan tour is a success."

Sairenji, who walked quietly behind Lala, giggled at the last part of the little sister's statement.

"Say, Haruna, did you have fun today~ ?"-asked Lala.

"…eh ?"

Sairenji blinked at the alien girl. Then slowly she briefly glanced at the orange hair boy, whose eyes were looking up the sky, a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, it was fun."

…it was good to have a moment with Yuuki-kun.

Although she still felt a little disappointed for not being able to confess her feeling to him, spending the whole afternoon together with the boy and the others were good enough for her.

As for Rito, the boy was still looking at the sky, admiring the one of many stars that appeared earliest. But despite his vision wandered across the heaven, his mind was on a completely different track. He was thinking about the last words that Sairenji never had the chance to finish as the screaming back then cut in their conversation.

 _..."Yuuki-kun, for a long time…..I have always_ _ **[KKkKSSSsss]**_ _"…._

Turning his eyes to the blue hair girl, he now wondered what was the last word that Sairenji was about to say in that sentence.

"My apartment is this way."-Sairenji pointed a finger toward an alley as the group reached a T junction."I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Bye bye, Haruna~."-Lala waved at her.

Mikan did the same along with Saruyama and Ito. Rito also waved a hand at her but didn't say anything at all. Sairenji turned away and walked in the long alleyway while the group went to the opposite.

But unexpectedly, one person remained there in silence while looked at the blue hair girl's back…

After walking for a couple of blocks, Saruyama gave them a wave and said goodbye as he split off. At this moment, Mikan noticed the group was only three persons left.

"Huh ? Where is Rito ?"-she turned to Ito and asked.

"He went to Sairenji."-Ito glanced over his shoulder to look at the far away T junction."It seems like he wants to ask her something."

Mikan widen her eyes in amusement and Lala just stared at Ito with a question mark on her head since she didn't have a clue of what he was saying. However, Ito wasn't just the only one who noticed this because the other boy also knew about this too as they saw him went to the alley that Sairenji just walked in. Right now Saruyama was grinning, totally satisfied with this new development of event.

….

* * *

 **-Music 05:** **再会** \- **composed by Yuuki Hayashi.**

* * *

Sairenji walked along a small alley and turned to another one as she reached an intersection. Walking a few more steps, the apartment where she lived came to her view and also came the voice of a familiar boy.

"Sairenji !"-Rito called out to her as he caught up.

"Yuuki-kun ?"-she looked back, surprised by his presence.

Both stopped on their track.

"There's something I want to ask you."-he looked straight to her eyes.

"…sure…"

"…um…back at the aquarium…"-the boy scratched his cheek, trying to think of some words to lead to the topic."….what were you going to say ?"

"Heh ?"

"I mean…when the scream interrupted ours speech, I couldn't hear the last word you spoke."

The memories of that moment sunk in, Sairenji's face slowly turned red.

"So I was wondering…what were you going to say ?"

 _...I have always_ _ **[KKKKkkSSSsss]**_ _…_

"Ah, that….I was about to…."-she flustered."…I was about to say that I have always liked….."

"…?"

"I have always liked penguin !"

The girl froze herself after saying that, it was too embarrassing that she ended up turning the confession into a different one.

"….huh ?"

"Yuuki-kun saw them, right ? They were short and round…and…and look so cute !"

…No, no, no ! What am I saying !? Baka, Sairenji you are baka, you miss your chance again !

"…I…see."-Rito nodded.

"…..that's why I like them, I just wanted to say that to you."

The sky has gotten dark, the illuminated light from the red orbit slowly being replaced by the night sky. Sairenji and the orange hair boy reflected of what appeared to be the last moment of dusk before night came.

"It's gotten dark."

"…."-Rito stayed silence at the girl's word as his drifted to the stars beyond the dark part of horizon.

They both continued walking to Sairenji's apartment. Since it was near, Rito decided to escort his classmate home before going back to Ito, Lala and Mikan. While on their way, the two had talked about a lot of things in today's trip.

It was a short moment until they reached the doorway which lead into a big building.

"My stop is here."-she walked ahead the boy a few steps before turning back to thank him for the escort."Thank you, Yuuki-kun."

"You welcome."-he replied with a smile.

She smiled at him and turned away but before she could put a step forward…...

"Sairenji….."

"….?"

"If you don't mind."-he stammered, hesitating a bit when took his cell phone out. "Can I…..can I have your phone number ?"

Once again, this event took Sairenji by surprised. A tinge of pink spread across her cheek as she never thought the person she liked would ask this, and moreover she never thought that this kind of situation would happen so soon. Sairenji has always wanted to ask the number of the orange hair boy but never found the courage to do so. Right now, this had happened in front of her very eyes.

"Sure."-Sairenji replied, a happy smile formed on her lip.

Sairenji came to close to him and the two stared exchanging numbers.

With that the blue hair girl finally made one step in the progress of being closer to him.

Putting away the phone, Sairenji went back into the building. And at this moment…

"Sairenji."

"…?"

Rito decided to give her a proper farewell instead of waving a hand and said nothing.

" _Oyasuminasai._ "(Good night)

"You too, Yuuki-kun. Oyasuminasai."

…..

Inside a dark place, a man stared intensely at the three pictures on a huge screen, clicking his tongue.

….in the end, my approach wasn't effective much, huh.

His sharp eyes glared at the faces of Rito, Ito and Saruyama while gritted his teeth in anger.

…and I still failed to get rid of those three.

"This is unacceptable."-He muttered.

He was almost there, almost had the Devilukean's princess in his hand and yet everything he did, everything he planned had become useless and ruined because of some Earthling brats who called themselves guardian. Now, the man felt his pride has been taint.

…just you wait, guardians ! This humiliation, I will never forget it.

He stood up from his chair and roared.

"I promise you that I, the fearsome Pryuma-sama, will get rid all of you and take my soon-to-be wife away ! With my creation I'll make your filthy planet disappear from the galaxy's map forever !"

After the threatening declaration, the only things reside in this dark place was the maniacal laugh of the man named Pryuma…..and a few clumsy coughs soon added in later.

…

Under the remained lights of dusk, Rito crossed another T junction on his way back to the group. Living in the outskirts of a big town was a good way to have fresh air and a quiet, peaceful life. But since all the small streets and alleys in this place mixed up together, that also meant having to walk into a maze to reach your own house. Though that didn't seem to be a case if you had already familiar with all the routines in the town.

The orange hair boy looked up to the sky once more. For some reason, his mind went back to the conversation he had with Sairenji earlier.

 _...I have always [liked penguin]…_

Although his question has been given an answer, Rito could tell that something was not quite right with it and he knew that the answer didn't look like what it seem.

…..…since when did we talk about the penguin before that sentence ?

He recalled back to the moment at the aquarium and gave some thought to it.

He didn't know why he kept thinking about this…..

But somehow, Rito felt nervous when he thought about it…..

… _ **I know you have feeling for Sairenji back in the middle school..…..**_

His memories recalled back to when Saruyama said that to him. Rito closed his eyes to give more concentration to his thought.

That "feeling" that Saruyama was talking about…..what was it ?

He didn't feel anything….

He didn't remember that such a story like that existed in his past…

….what was this "feeling" he was talking about ?-Rito thought to himself.

 _ **KKksksksSsss !**_

He rubbed his head.

Now that he thought about it, back then Sairenji's cheek was red when she said that line while looking at him.

 _...I have always_ _ **[KKKkssss]**_ _…_

Was it really the penguin that she was talking about ?...what if…

 _...I have always_ _ **liked yo[KKKsskksksss]**_ …

Rito narrowed his eyebrow.

 _...for a long time, I have always_ _ **liked you**_ _…_

Opening his eyes, Rito let out a sigh in relief.

…...was this…the "feeling" that Saruyama told me ?

….

….

…. _ **KKKKKKKKKKKKkkkskskksSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssss !**_

Suddenly, his vision flicked….Rito held his head with both hands, shutting his eyes tight, frowning.

 _ **KKKKkkkkssssssSSSsSssksssssss….I have always liked you…..KKKkkkskskskskssssssssss !**_

 _ **KKKKKKKKKKkkskkskssssssskkskkskskshavekkskskalwayskskskkkks…likkkksked yskskou….kkkksss !**_

 _ **KKKKKKKKKKKKkskkssksskssssssssssssksksSSSSSSsksskskskssssksskskssssksksskskskkss !**_

….

….

….

…

…. _ **kks….ks !**_

The orange hair boy's eyes shot open, both of his hands were trembling. He looked around for no reason in particular.

…..huh ?

Putting the right hand which wrapped in bandage on his head. One question came from deep in his mind.

….…..what was I...thinking again ?...

 _ **ARC 3: Shopping Trip**_

 _ **End**_

* * *

 **Author's note:Finally, we reached the end of Sainan tour, the end of the third arc. I never thought that I would spend 5 chapters for this trip, wow. Throughout this arc, a lot of things has happened to the party.  
**

 **Saruyama has joined in the task with Rito and Ito to protect the alien girl. He's finally has a bigger role in the storyline now.**

 **And so close ! Haruna almost confessed to him but they did exchanged phone number so I believe this will be a big development for both of them since they haven't share their number with each other in the canon.(if I remember correctly) Well, we can expect for another sweet moment happens between them again then.**

 **Look at what we have here, another villain ! What will he do to take Lala away from the mysterious guardian ? Will he success in doing so ?  
**

 **And what happened to Rito ? Mystery came after another mystery.**

 **magic135: Thanks, and to answer your question let me make a list for my top 5 favorite heroin of TLR, here we go:**

 **1/Sairenji Haruna.(sweet and gentle)**

 **2/Yami.(after the darkness arc, I started to like her more, knowing the feeling she has for Rito)**

 **3/Kotegawa Yui.(I like her personality and the way she put up a conversation with Rito)**

 **4/Lala.(enthusiasm and cheerful...and other stuff if you get what I mean)**

 **5/Run.(love the mature side of her in the sequel)**

 **Well,** **so far** **they are the character that I like in the darkness sequel. If the current relationship with Rito and Nemesis is developped more I will have another hard time to think of who should I replace in the list since I really like the chemistry between her and Rito, so good.(in my opinion only, ok?)**

 **Guest: I hope this chapter satisfied you, cause I like to progress the character's relationship in a slow pace. Hope to get more support from you.**

 **Alright, that would be everything for now.**

 **As usual, please give me your review about this chapter. I will see you guys in the next arc.**


	14. Chapter 14: Yorozuya-Battlefield

**I'm sorry for the late update, here is the first chapter of arc 4.  
**

 **Enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 _ **ARC 4: Pryuma**_

 **Chapter 14** **: ~Yorozuya_Battlefield~**

 _An old door stood in a dark empty space, lied beyond the grasp of a figure who was watching it from far away. As the figure moved, the dark place became distorted by each steps it put forward. Many strange symbol appeared around the door when the figure stopped in front of it, that "figure" was a boy. Didn't seem to be distracted by this phenomena, he grabbed the doorknob and pushed…_

 _A voice called out to him….._

"… _hey, wake up…."_

… _?_

" _Come on, wake up kiddo."_

 _The ground where he stood flicked before the door was fully opened. Lazily opened his eyelids, a sight of many stars from the window came to his view._

" _Finish your stuff and we'll start the first day of your test."-came the same voice of a man sitting next to his bed."Well, not official of course."_

" _Good morning…"-the boy sat up._

" _Morning ?"-hearing that, the man chuckled."We're in space, the definition of time is different here."_

" _Sorry….."-the boy replied while rubbing his sleepy eyes."It's a habit of my."_

 _The man stared at him and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the expression on the boy's face._

" _You look pretty gloomy, didn't sleep well ?"_

" _No, I'm fully awake."-he placed a hand on his forehead."I just had a weird dream."_

" _A dream, huh….."_

 _The boy nodded again, rubbing his forehead gently while looked at the floor._

" _Is that scar on your head still itching ?"_

 _ **KKKssSSSSSkskskssksksk !**_

"… _."_

 _The boy didn't response nor made a gesture to confirm his question, he just kept looking down at the ground letting the bangs covered half of his face. The man shrugged and walked to an automatic door, not wanting to push this topic further._

" _Alright, go wash your face, finish all of your stuff and come find me, I'll be waiting outside the dock number 8."_

 _The door closed on itself as the man walked through, disappearing from the boy's sight. The boy stood up to patch up his things like the man said and finished all the necessary activities after waking up. He walked out of the room and went to the told location._

 _Running through a huge, long corridor which designed with an invisible wall, many stars that lied deep in the dark universe shined its light upon the area ahead of him. Finally arrived at the destination, the boy met his companion and received the info of the test._

" _Are you ready ?"_

" _Yes…"_

" _Good, I'll get straight to the main point then, to pass this test you will only need to do one thing."_

 _A holographic appeared from out of nowhere on the man's wrist when he raised up his left arm. His fingers glided across some of the buttons appeared on the handheld device and a 3D image of the location where they were standing popped out from the gold screen._

" _Patrol around this area."-he marked the place on the map by a small circle with the same color._

 _The boy leaned closer to have a better look at the marked location on the 3D map._

" _Since this is an unofficial test, the local guards will not be informed anything about this. If you found anything or anyone that try to bring trouble to this place, prevent it quickly and do it quietly as much as possible with the same skills that you used back on the Citadel."_

" _I don't think using my skills will help me deal with the troubles quietly without gaining people's attention, but I've been wondering…why those skills ? And why me ?"_

" _The [unit] want to see it again with their own eyes."-he waved his hand to emphasize the point."They really want you to join in the team, but after you passed this test, of course."_

 _The boy looked down at the floor for a few seconds then turned his visions to the invisible wall where the dark, vast space with trillion of stars lied behind it. He felt himself wavering a little at the current circumstance._

" _Even if you say that….you and they know that I have no intention of joining the_ _ **[KKksSks]**_ _. Right now, I don't even think I'm in the right mind to do something like this."-he shook his head._

 _ **KKKKKKSSSSSkskksSSSSSkSsSkSsSkSsSkSKKkkkSKSKSKSK !**_

" _Well, I know….."-the man spoke to a half when the boy rubbed his forehead, he let out a small sigh."I know that you have a lot of thing in your mind at this moment, but we need you and your skills."_

 _Covering his forehead with one hand, the boy looked up to the man, giving him an unreadable expression. The man placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and spoke in a soft tone._

" _Hey, it's alright. We are not forcing you to join, the decision is entirely for you to choose."-the holographic map disappeared as the man lowered his arm."You're still young and a mystery at the very least, but what you done back there have caught their interest."_

"… _.."_

" _Let just see this as a favor from the team and me, show us your skills and then we'll have a talk with the whole team about your decision."_

"… _.okay…."_

" _Well then, let's sum up the main objective in this mission. You are going to patrol around this place with a decent amount of time's given. If the trouble come up, you need to put a stop to it with your skills."_

 _The boy nodded while looking at the people moving in and out at the dock entrances._

" _You will do this alone but if the situation got out of control, I'll lend you a hand. Remember, this is an unofficial test for you so don't do anything that could endanger yourself. Got it ?"_

"… _.yeah."_

 _With that said, the boy began walking toward the entrance and blended into the crowd. Not until the boy was out of sight, the man muttered to no one but himself with a smile._

" _Do your best,_ _ **Star**_ _….."_

….

 _ **KKkssSsKskssskskskskssSKSKKKSSkSkSkSkSkSkSSSSSSkSSSKKSKSSSsksksSSSKSSKKSksKSsksKkskskSks!**_

…..

…

"Rito~, where are you going ?"

The alien girl asked Rito who was tying his shoes, readying to go outside.

"Some works came up at my workplace so I need to go there and check it."-Rito stood up and hit the nose of his shoes on the ground twice.

"Rito's workplace ?"-Lala placed a finger to her cheek, she remembered Mikan had told her about Rito's part-time job once before."The Yuzuroya ?"

"It's Yorozuya."

"I see, can I come with you ? I want to see Rito's workplace."

The pink hair girl had heard a small part of the story about her guardian working on a part-time job with his brother from Mikan, hearing the boy was going to go there causing her curiosity to arise. Rito turned to her with a questioning look but agreed afterward.

"Okay, I'll lead you there."

Lala smiled cheerfully at his response.

The two of them went out together. While on their way to "Yorozuya", Lala asked the orange hair boy all kind of questions about the place and the meaning behind that name as there was still a big gap between her and the Earthling's languages. Rito gave her some answers and briefly described the place for the girl to understand more easily. Although he said that that was his workplace, he only went there once or two times a week so it wasn't really accurate much to say that Yorozuya is his workplace.

"So what do you do in Yorozuya ?"-asked the alien girl.

"Pretty much all kind of things from small to big, we usually do the job that customer requests us to do."

"Request ?"

"Yeah, for example."-Rito placed a hand on his, thinking of an idea to give Lala a bigger picture about his work."If a person want to clean up the weed in their house's yard but somehow got busy at the moment, they can send a request to us to help them cut all the unnecessary plants."

"Oh~."

The two stopped on their track as they reached a train station. While the orange hair boy was checking an electronic map on the wall, Lala eyes beamed around since this was her first time at a station.

"Rito, what is this place ?"

"A train station, Yorozuya lied near the outskirt of Sainan town so we will go there by high speed train to save more time."

"I see."-the girl glanced at the long transport machine before darting her eyes back to her guardian."What's a high speed train ?"

Rito spent another good five minutes to explain and made a mental note in his mind, Lala didn't seem to know anything about the outside world besides from the palace where she used to live back on planet Deviluke.

After buying the tickets and boarded the train, the two went to a location that had lots of building and house built in Edo period style. It was a place with a distinguish feature that only still remained at a few places across Japan, giving out an ancient atmosphere like that of the past centuries. Rito and Lala walked along a narrowed alley, they stopped as they arrived at a two story house.

"Here it is, this is the Yorozuya."

The alien girl looked up at the big sign hanging on the top floor, trying to read it. Peke also glanced at the sign but turned his eyes to another direction immediately. Standing next to Lala, Rito noticed the look on the robot's face but kept silent about it and walked up to the wooden stairs on the side of the house. Up there, lied a sliding door which he opened it and walked in casually. Lala soon followed him into the house and didn't forget to take off her shoes, which was a manner she learned from the Yuuki sibling. But of course, Peke was the one who made it disappeared.

The Devilukean's princess looked around the room the moment she went in. The interior decoration could be described as simple with a large desk, one table and two couches in the middle of the big room. There are other furniture inside but so far nothing has really caught her attention.

"Hm~, so this is Rito's workplace."

"It looks kind of plain and quiet."-Peke the hairclip said as his round eyes darted to every direction.

….I guess this place is safe.

Peke let out a sigh in relief which didn't go unnoticed by his creator.

"What's wrong, Peke ?"

"Ah, no-nothing, Lala-sama."-Peke replied with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Lala began to wonder at the response but she quickly paid no mind to that and continued to have a look around. Just when the girl turned to see Rito, who was standing near the couch and sweat dropped for some reasons, she saw a figure that caught her attention. Lying on one of the blue couches was a person with natural perm hair, his hair has a silvery-blue color which was really catchy for the eyes. At first look, both Lala and Peke thought the person was a man in mid-twenties but turned out they were wrong. He was the same age as Rito, wearing the same Sainan school uniform where they were studying. On his chest was an unfinished reading manga, it appeared he has fallen asleep when he read it half-way.

"Gin."-the orange hair boy called his name as he woke him up."Gin, wake up, I'm here."

The boy named Gin opened his eyes and sat up, the manga on his chest fell onto the wooden floor. He let out a long yawn before turning his head to Rito.

"Oh, it's you."-Gin rubbed his eyes, still feeling a little sleepy."There's one customer request for you in the box."

"Are you sleeping at this time in the day ? We've just finished school this afternoon."

"I'm not sleeping, I'm just relaxing."-he replied deadpan."Sometime closing your eyes after a tough day at school is one of the best ways to get away from your homework."

"You just don't want to do homework."

"Yup, I don't like homework at all so I try to get away from this cruel reality by reading manga."

The orange hair boy couldn't help but sweat dropped and smiled wryly at the response. In other word, his friend was just lazing around.

Noticing that there was another person in the room with him, the white hair boy turned his head around and Lala went into his sight. There was no reaction or whatsoever coming from Gin, he just blinked at the pretty girl and Lala also did the same to him.

"Rito."

"Hm ?"

"Am I still dreaming right now ?"

"I just woke you up."-replied the boy while looked inside the request box.

There was a pause right here.

"I see. Who is this beautiful, unreal, anime-liked girl ?"

"I thought I told you about Lala before, didn't I ?"

His dead fish eyes opened wide in surprised.

"Lala ? The princess of planet Evilastrial ?"

Rito stared at him in dumbfound.

"Where did that name come from ?! You forgot everything, didn't you ?!"

"No, I still remember that you did called and told me about a girl named Lala. But I was kind of busy playing game at that moment so I didn't pay attention to the middle and the last part of the story."

Knowing that he was wasting his time arguing with the white hair boy. Rito grabbed a single envelope left inside the request box and introduced Lala to his friend…again.

"This is Lala Satalin Deviluke."-Rito motioned his hand to Gin."And Lala, this is Takahagi Kozad. Gin is his nickname."

"Hello~, nice to meet you Rito's friend."-the girl said cheerfully."Call me Lala."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lalala-san. To be honest, I actually have two names. Would you like to hear the other one ?"-Gin fixed his messed hair and buttoned up his collar in a hurry to greet her back, his eyes sparkled with special effect.

"Gin, don't change her name."

"Quiet, I'm trying to be gallant here."

The two started to argue again and Lala just stared at them in wonder, she felt like being left out. Not until the girl walked up to them that they stopped arguing.

"Kozad-kun, are you a worker here like Rito~ ?"-a question made the boys raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I work here with him, but as a boss and a co-worker."

"Huh ?"-Lala widen her eyes, not quite get the meaning.

"Gin was the one who found the Yorozuya, sometime later my brother and I joined in and work here as our part-time job."

Lala nodded at Rito's word, feeling happy and excited as she got to know more about her guardian. But the moment didn't last long as a ringtone rang in the boy's pocket. He took a look and saw a mail came from Ito.

"Well, it's a long story so let just leave it for the next time."-Gin said waving his hand."Right now, you still have a job to do."

"We'll be going then."

The two headed back outside the house. When Rito walked down the stairs with Lala moving ahead of him, Gin stopped the boy by grabbing his collar and pulled him close.

"Hold on, I still have something I need to say to you before you go."

"What is it ?"

With an arm placed around Rito's shoulder, they both gazed at Lala as the orange hair boy followed Gin's eyes.

"Look at Lalala-san, no wonder why all the boys in our school have gone crazy for her."

"You spoke her name wrong again, but what do you mean by that ?"

"Ever since the beautiful transfer student came to our school, customer's requests have been sent in a lot and most of them came from the students in our school."

"Really ? I didn't hear anything about this, recently you said that there was no request from customers."

"Of course there was."

"Then why did you say there wasn't ?"

A tick mark appeared on Gin's head.

"Because those requests were sent in by the boys, many asked for Lala's panty shot, three sizes, bla bla bla, they even requested me to investigate her life and find out where she lives."

Rito sweat dropped after hearing what his friend has gone through.

"So…..after that, what did you do with all the requests ?"

"I burned and threw all of it away for all I care, of course. Those bastard, just what do they think Yorozuya is ?!"

Rito could only smiled awkwardly at this point.

"But putting that aside, it this alright with you ?"

His smiled stopped, Rito slowly looked down on his feet. He knew what his friend was talking about.

"It must have been tough for you, isn't it ? Being a guardian and all."

"…."

"You actually willing to do this, aren't you ?"

"….Yeah, I'm willing to do this."-Rito looked straight into Gin's eyes, saying with full of determination."I won't regret my decision."

A moment of silence came, covering the two with each seconds past. Eventually, a thin smile formed on Gin's face.

"You really think this through, huh."

"Yes."

"I see, well off you go then."-Gin said as he retracted his arm and patted Rito behind the back.

Rito continued to moved down the stairs and saw Lala who was waiting for him. Before they could go further, Gin called out for Rito.

"Rito, one more thing."

"…..?"

His eyes darted between Lala and the orange hair boy, smirking.

"Try not to make the author change the rating into M."

"W-what are you talking about ?!"

The boy blushed at the statement. Lala just looked at Gin with a question mark on her head as she didn't get the word he said.

After another argument happened between these two boys, Rito and Lala finally left the place and went back to Sainan town.

…..…..

…..well, that should take care of it.

Sitting alone in his room, Ito put back the phone into his pocket while gazing at a small fly-liked machine on a nearby desk. Various tools were place around it including an enlarging lens.

Nearly an hour ago…..

 _The brown hair has tried to open the weapon since he recovered it yesterday. Through the lens, he found an extremely small ring inside its body._

 _The moment he used one of the tools to hold it, some interesting stuff happened. The tool he was holding vanished almost instantly when it touched the ring which was glowing brightly at that time. Ito gaped in astonished for a few seconds but quickly back to his sense and had another try. With every objects from small to big keep disappearing when used to touch it, Ito has thought of some possibilities about this ring along with the weapon._

… _.but just to make sure._

 _While guarding Lala who was showering at the moment, Peke was called to Ito's room to confirm about the ring. The robot was really surprised as he recognized one of the advanced technologies from a certain species in the galaxy._

 _With that said, one solution came to Ito._

… _..Another candidate is here on Earth and he has found Lala's whereabout._

 _Due to not wanting to make a ruckus about this, Ito and Peke has decided to keep this from Lala, Mikan and Saruyama._

 _As for Rito…the orange hair boy has already known about this when Ito told him last night._

 _And a few minutes later, Lala and Rito left the house to go to Yorozuya…_

Now, staring at the motionless machine with one arm supporting the cheek, Ito slowly raised his other palm up and slammed down at the fly-liked machine like crushing an ant with a giant hammer. With nothing left of the weapon, Ito leaned back on his chair and let out a sigh.

…..using such a small device to get us, I guess we're facing a really troublesome candidate.

Immediately, an idea came up to him. Ito took the phone out and pressed the numbers. A list of names flashed in his eyes and stopped as he clicked the call button…

….

Peke was feeling a little nervous while eyeing everywhere, every directions around Lala.

"What's wrong, Peke ?"

"Ah ! Nothing, Lala-sama."-he startled.

"Really ? You look anxious to me, it's something wrong ?"

"It's…..it's alright, Lala-sama. I just don't familiar with Earthling's transportation device."

"I see."

Without a doubt in her line of thought, Lala went back to enjoy the passing by scenery behind the train window. Rito was sitting next to her, he put his phone away after reading the message from his brother. Now he knew why that strange bug and the fly-liked machine that Ito showed him after the trip from yesterday approached Lala and attacked his friends. Based on what his brother said in the message, the ring inside the machine's body was a teleportation device. The candidate had intent to get Lala away from their protection by teleporting her right on the spot which ended up in failure. However, the fact that this person approached them in the middle of the shopping trip meant he knew where Lala was going and tried to capture her with these machines.

After knowing the way he used to get near Lala, Rito has become more cautious with the environment around him the entire time they left home, Peke also did to protect his dear master but the robot was a little worried. If the candidate knew the exact location of Lala then he could be anywhere by now.

Which meant he could be on this train right this instant.

Peke shivered at this thought, he moved his round eyes to Rito. The orange hair boy was looking out the window on the other side of their seats. Not a hint of worry reflected in his eyes.

…..Rito-dono seems calm about this.

"Rito~, so where are we going next ?"

Suddenly, Lala called him which made him looked back at her, blinking like he was just being pulled out from his own thought.

"Oh, we're going back to Sainan since this request was sent from there."-the boy widen his eyes slightly as he just realized that he's still missing something."That reminds me, I haven't looked at the address and the requests yet."

Rito took out the envelope and opened it to read the content, inside it was a list and the name of the sender. He opened wide his eyes staring at the address and the name of the person who sent this to Yorozuya.

"….D-Dad ?"

…..

Inside a dark place, Pryuma cackled evilly as he gazed at the moving green dot on the big screen. The picture of the first princess of Deviluke was shown right next to it. With the advanced technology in his hand, he could find her anywhere.

….have fun with the guardian while you still can, my dear Lala. This time, with my ultimate creation your guardians will never be able to stop me."

The picture of the orange hair boy flashed through the scene and was marked by a red lock.

"Just you wait, filthy Earthling brat. I will make you disappear from this world for you dared to humiliate me."

Pryuma was a noble in his homeland, his pride will never allow someone to interrupt the future that he himself has planned for him and Lala, who he has decided to be his wife. As his efforts in capturing Lala has been ruined twice because of some mere human at an underdeveloped planet. He will come to them.

….once I destroyed you I will do the same to the other two brats.

Pryuma pressed a button and the image switched to a scene where Rito and the alien girl walked out of the train. The scene zoomed in the orange hair boy as Pryuma pulled the control levels. Ready to strike him at any moment.

"When the chance to eliminate you comes, I will have my revenge."

…..

A small bug flew past Rito when he and Lala got off the train to go to the location written inside the paper. It sudden act nearly startled Peke as the bug was so fast that the robot eyes couldn't barely kept up. Rito looked around the place they was standing and briefly glared at the bug. So far everything was still normal, there was no sight of the candidate or any threats that he pulled off.

The two went to a convenience store near there to buy some stuff requested on the list and headed straight to a four stories building.

"Rito~, why did we buy this stuff ?"-Lala asked him, while they were walking by stairs.

"My dad needs me to buy everything in this list and go to his place to help him with his work."

"Rito papa's work ?"

Lala took a peek inside the plastic bag the boy was carrying one more time. There was some ink bottles, manuscript papers and several drawing tools in it.

"What does Rito papa do ?"-she moved her eyes to him.

"He's a mangaka."

They reached a door on the top floor with a "Studio Saibai" sign hanging on the wall next to it. After ringing the door-bell, the door was opened by a man with messy black hair and big eyebrows, there was also a red headband with the word "big haul" on his head.

"Rito ! You're here."-he spoke in a loud voice and appeared to be in a hurry."Come in, we don't have time !"

The man quickly turned away but stopped when he saw the figure of a girl standing right next to the orange hair boy.

"Nice to meet you, Rito papa~."-Lala said cheerfully.

The man didn't response nor showed any expression, he just blinked at her. Lala leaned closer to look at the man's face and appearance.

"Hm, so this is Rito papa, huh ? You don't look like Rito much."

Rito remained silent at her statement.

"Rito, what's going on ?"-the man finally spoke."It's this what I think it is ?"

"Her name is Lala, she wants to know about your work so I brought her with me."

The man frowned at his words and suddenly his expression changed 180 degrees, smiling happily.

"Oh, so this is the girl Mikan told me ! Well, nice to meet you too Lala-chan, I'm Rito papa~, Yuuki Saibai."

Saibai invited the girl into his apartment, Rito followed behind them and closed the door. In that moment, a bug flew past the small gap just before it was fully closed. It hanged on the wall watching every movements of the orange hair boy. Just when Saibai and the alien girl walked into another room, Rito stood still at the door for some unknown reasons.

….what is he doing ?

Through the bug's eyes, Pryuma watched him carefully while ready to launch a strike. However, seeing his target stood still like that alerted him. After a few seconds, Rito slowly let off the doorknob and went into the room where Lala, Saibai and his assistants were at.

"This place is a little bit dirty, but go ahead and make yourself at home, look around as you please."-said Rito father.

"Wahh~, it really is dirty."

She really didn't mean it, that's the truth.

"Lala-sama, that's impolite."

Lala went to look at those papers the artist were drawing, the girl was amazed at how detail and beautiful it was. Her high spirit rose again as she got to know more about things she hasn't seen yet. Saibai watched the girl in amusement, he stepped near his son while he was putting all the tools on his father's working desk.

"She's a cute girl, Rito. I'm really envy of you."

"Envy ?"-Rito looked back at his dad.

"Come on, don't pretend to be innocent~."-Saibai grinned, leaning closer to Rito and whispered into his ear so no one would hear what he said."I heard from Mikan that she went into your room almost every night."

Rito paled at the words.

"Man, being young is so nice."

"Dad, please don't get it the wrong way. I gave Lala a separate room to sleep but she always came to my room at night."-he scratched the back of his head, trying to think of the right word to explain the situation.

"Oh, don't be shy. It's alright to be in full spirit."

"No, since Lala came to my room, I've been sleeping in nii-san's room for the past few days."

Saibai raised an eyebrow at his son.

"You let Lala-chan sleep in your room while you sleep in Ito's room ?"

"Yes."

"So….nothing happened ?"

"No, nothing, Dad."

"Well…..good, because I was about to tell you to be responsible of what you have done as a man."-he shrugged his shoulders."But if you haven't done anything then it's fine."

Even though he said that, the man seemed to be a bit disappointed. He thought one of his son has finally had a girlfriend but it looked like there's still a long way for that to happen.

"By the way, Dad."-Rito took out the envelope that Saibai sent to his workplace."Why did you send this to Yorozuya ? Our house is near here, if you need help, you can call me anytime you want. You don't have to spend your work time to write this."

"Well, I just want to see how my son is doing with his part-time job. Since I was busy with the manuscript, I never had the chance to see you working when you joined the Yorozuya."-Saibai took it and laugh out loud."But now, seeing you're doing fine, I'm glad."

…so these two are father and son, huh. Kukukuku, it seems like this is going to be the last time they see each other.

Pryuma controlled the bug to fly into the room and hang on the ceiling above their head to observe more easily. Besides Lala, he saw another three young men were drawing sketches.

"Ito didn't come with you ?"

"No, he was busy at home so I'm taking his shift today."

"I see. Alright ! Let's not waste any more time here."-Saibai went to his desk to continue his work."Rito ! Ink this page !"

The orange hair boy quickly followed his dad's instructions and sat in the desk next to him, grabbing the sketches and painted. Pryuma was watching, cackling at the moment that he believed would be the last of Rito.

…that's right, enjoy the short amount of time you have left, guardian.

The moment when the boy leaves this room will be the moment where his existence vanishes from this world by the ultimate weapon he has prepared for him. The candidate closed his eyes, laughing evilly at the thought, once the boy has been getting rid of he will teleport Lala to his place and deal with the other two brats. After that he will marry the first princess of Deviluke. With her creativity and technique, he will force her to create the strongest weapon to rule the entire universe, including planet Deviluke.

By the time Pryuma opened his eyes to look back at the screen, he nearly jumped out from his seat. In an instant, he saw the guardian glared at him briefly over his shoulder. Pryuma blinked twice to see if the boy was truly staring at him, but all he saw was that Rito was concentrating on inking the page and did nothing else aside from it.

….hm, that's weird. Perhaps, I shouldn't have wallowed myself in my own thought too much.

He believed so.

"Ne~, Rito papa, do you want me to help you, too ?"

"Oh, thank you for the offer, Lala-chan. But can you draw picture ?"

"Yes, I can~."

Hearing that made Rito turned his head to Lala with a hint of surprised lingered on his face. Lala took a paper and started drawing. Approximately about ten seconds later, she showed the picture to his dad. Saibai looked at it and laugh uncontrollably while Rito sweat dropped.

"Look, Rito. How it is ?"-Lala turned the picture to him.

"….um…."

Rito was at a loss for words, he didn't know how to describe the image. It was different from the level of an elementary student as they can still draw something that he can recognize. Rito made another mental note in his mind that Lala has no talent when it comes to art.

"It is good ?"

"I think…..I think we shouldn't distract dad's work."-Rito said, avoiding the question and gently pushed Lala out of the room."I'll show you the other room, maybe you can find something interesting to kill time."

"Eh~, it is no good ?"

"…..it's hard to tell."

"I see."

He led her to the next room where a lot of reference books were stored. The bug also followed them and hid outside so that they won't see it.

"Here."-Rito handed her a book."This book contains a lot of basic letters from my language, you can read it to kill some time while I help Dad."

"Ok~, that sounds fun."

Lala took the book and read it in silent, hoping to learn more about the Earth. Rito walked out the room and closed the door behind him, returning to the workplace.

…kukuku, such carelessness. Leaving my Lala alone like that, maybe I'll change of plan then.

This was a good opportunity to teleport Lala to his place. If he success in doing so, he can use this to humiliate the boy before destroying him. Pryuma controlled the bug to fly into the room but only to find out that he couldn't. Since Rito has closed the door, there was no gap for his ultimate weapon to get through. Pryuma clicked his tongue in slight annoying.

"Oh, I forgot."-Rito spoke as he stopped on his track."I need to get some drinks for them."

He ran through the corridor and turned to the kitchen. Pryuma quickly controlled the bug to follow him. Right now, he was alone with no one else to help him. Seeing the perfect chance to finish off him for good, Pryuma cracked a twisted smile.

"Hahaha ! Good !"

Pryuma pressed several buttons and the word "battle mode" appeared on the screen.

"Now, It's time for me to show you how scary I, Pryuma-sama, can be !"

The weapon flew into the kitchen, readying to strike the orange hair boy.

"Huh ?!"

Pryuma stared at the screen with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he just saw.

There was no one in the room….

…what's happening ?! I thought I saw him went into this area !

With surprise now mixed with nervous, Pryuma made the bug fly into the room, carefully watching every spots that showed on the screen.

As the bug has flown into the middle of the room and had a good distance away from the corridor. The door slowly….steady…..moved without a sound. Inside the gap between the corner and the door stood the orange hair boy who was holding a bat in one hand. Before the door was fully closed, before this room was separated from the outside world, Rito placed one step forward, slowly approached the floating weapon in dead silence.

When Pryuma was still looking for him in clueless, Rito raised the bat over his head and swing it down at the bug with full force….

….

"Hm~, Rito was right. This book sure is easy to read."

"Lala-sama, you can read all Earthling letters now ?"

"No, there is some words I still don't recognize."-Lala closed the book and placed it back on the shelf."Thanks to Rito, Ito and Mikan that I've learned most of them now. Kanji is hard to remember."

"I see."

"Peke, do you want to learn it ? Since this is where Rito was born, you should learn more stuff about the Earth, too."

"I think I'll pass, Lala-sama."

"AAAAHHHHH ! I can't take this anymore !"

A scream of one of the young assistant echoed from the next room. Lala turned her head in wonder and came to the workplace. Arriving at the door, she saw one of the assistant was kneeling down on the floor in desperate.

"This is too much for me, sensei ! I can't do like you !"

"Come on, if you have time to whine then speed up !"-Saibai scolded him."We're running out of time, and where is Rito disappearing to ?"

"Rito papa, what's wrong ?"

"Things are not progress very well, we're lacking time and speed to finish the work."-Saibai explained while staring at the clock."The deadline is mid night which is three hours starting from here but we'll need more than that to complete the manuscript. This is bad."

"And we have other work to do, too."-an assistant spoke up.

"If only we could draw as fast as sensei."

Lala placed a hand to her chin, thinking.

…..hm, speed and time, maybe I can think of something to help Rito papa.

"I don't really get it but if you can work faster than your current pace, will it be better ?"

"Well, yes. It will be but I don't think we can draw any faster at this moment."

"It's all right, I already came up with an idea~, let me borrow your chair for a minute."

Lala took out the D-Dial and a wand with two devil-liked wings appeared after pressing a few buttons. By turning those chairs of the assistants into an auto-working machine, their speeds increased a lot and made a lot of loud noise as the machine were activated.

"Amazing ! I can draw really fast !"

The assistant's hands moved so quick that Saibai could almost see afterimages. The man smiled at the sight, his excitement rose up.

"Good job, Lala ! Guys, let's put in out last spurt, we can do this !"

"Roger !"

Feeling the enthusiasm was pushing her to join in the atmosphere, Lala stood aside and cheered them on.

….

Rito stopped moving his hand instantly when he heard a scream echoed from outside the door. Pryuma also heard it and made the robot turned around to look at the source. In that moment, the candidate noticed the head of the bat was only 6 inches above the weapon.

Rito gaped slightly as he was being found. Both staring at each other with wide eyes.

Quickly reacting to the situation, the boy raised the bat once more and hit the bug but with a smooth movement it dodged the swing and flew away from him. After making a good distance from Rito, Pryuma hold the controlling level in his palm tightly and smirked.

"A sneak attack, as expected of a filthy Earthling."

Rito blinked at the voice emitting from the small insect.

"Aren't you the same ? You are the one who've been stalking Lala since yesterday."

A tick mark popped out from Pryuma's head.

"Not stalking, I just merely observed the girl who will soon become my wife."

"You're one of the candidates, aren't you ?"-Rito pointed the bat at the flying with caution."What you have done is no different from a stalker, Lala has her own freedom to marry the person she likes so don't get to decide it by yourself !"

"Silence, Earthling brat ! Who do you think you are ?! I am Pryuma, the one who shall rule the galaxy and the Deviluke Empire !"-he clicked a switch."And now you will vanish from my sight !"

A small cannon appeared on the bug head, charging itself with a red light.

"Be gone, Yuuki Rito !"

A beam of light released from the canon and headed straight to Rito. The boy raised the bat to shield himself from the shot. Once the beam contacted with it surface, it broke the bat into two pieces. The impact caused a very loud noise spread all over the apartment.

…...

"Alright ! Only 15 pages left !"-Saibai said out loud.

"Go ! Go ! keep working Rito papa~ !"

Holding a fan in her hand, Lala waved it up and down, cheering the man along with his three assistants.

Because of the noise the auto-machines were making, no one in the room noticed a very loud bang and several sounds with high volume echoed from the kitchen.

….…...

Rito quickly gathering himself to duck from all the shot that were rapidly coming at him. He grabbed onto what was left of the bat and threw at the bug. Due to having a small body and a fast pace, the controlled bug dodged effortlessly and shot more beams at Rito. The boy moved out of the way and hid behind the kitchen sink as Pryuma's weapon sent another rain of beam shot to him. The destruction it caused was minimal but fearsome. Once the attack stopped, Rito gazed at the door which now are full of holes.

Those beams could pierce through any kind of solid object.

"What's wrong guardian ?"-Pryuma spoke in a confident tone."My weapon is too hard for you to handle ?"

Not hearing any response from the target, the alien laugh in a mocking manner.

"Afraid of me now, aren't you ? Well, I can't blame you after seeing the power of my ultimate creation."

Still no response…

"Oh, keep silent, I see. You must be really frighten to the point you can't utter a single word."

The noise from the workplace echoed through the room, still no response from Rito…..

Pryuma started to feel impatient at the silence he gave him. Being a noble and having a short-tempered attitude, he really hates it when someone is ignoring him.

"Hey, you imbecile ! Stop being so quiet and say something, are you trying to make me look like a fool ?!"

The bug shot another beam toward the sink. Luckily for the owner of this apartment, the beam only scratched the surface. However the result was still won't change for Pryuma as the orange hair boy didn't show any movement.

"That's it !"

With max speed, the bug flew straight to the spot next to the sink where Pryuma saw Rito hid in earlier, preparing to shoot. Unexpectedly, when the weapon was almost there, Rito jumped out from the hiding spot while holding a small box with its cover in both hands. Due to being surprised from the boy act, Pryuma didn't react in time. Eventually, the weapon flew right into the box as Rito raised the box in its way and closed it tightly.

…

Meanwhile….

"Yosh ! Five pages left !"

"Roger !"

"Go~ ! You can do this !"

They almost finished it in the cheering of the Deviluke's princess.

Truth be told, sometime a workplace could be an intense battlefield….like the one in the kitchen right now.

…

….This brat, I went into his trap without realized it ! Just how did he know I was coming ?!

The bug crashed into every corner of the box, desperately trying to break out. Rito pressed it down on the floor with one hand, the one that wrapped in bandage, keeping the violently shaking box in place. There was no more shaking after that, despite the bug still tried to hit against the corner of it. The floating weapon tried to fire at it.

Strangely, the beam mysteriously disappeared when it flew out from the canon.

"What is this barrier ?! My weapon can't get through !"-Pryuma has no idea that his creation was trapped inside a plastic box used to keep foods.

"Why did you try to capture Lala ?"-Rito questioned him."What do you intend to do after you marry her ?"

"I doubt an Earthling like you could understand my ambition."-the alien huffed."That girl is one of the best genius the galaxy has ever had."

Rito narrowed his eyebrow at the candidate's word.

"With her intelligence and techniques, I can make her to develop for me a supreme weapon, strongest of the strongest so I can defeat the mightiest ruler of the galaxy and take anything I want !"

"So Lala is just a tool to you ?!"

"Wrong ! I see her as a genius and it would be such a waste to let her live on this isolated planet with your kind."-Pryuma protested."With her vast intelligence and my skill in creating weapon, together she and I will stand at the top of the world and no one can't stop us !"

The screen in front of Pryuma flicked a little the moment he finished his speech. A lot of warning sign appeared making the alien stared at it with wide eyes.

….huh ? What's happening ?!

He read the error on the big screen. Apparently, the bug was being crushed by an invisible force coming from every directions to its body. What even weirder was that the shape of the box used to trap the floating weapon didn't change. There was nowhere for the small bug to escape.

"Damn it ! If it has come to this, then I will use my last resort !"-Pryuma slammed his hand down at many buttons.

Rito felt something hot in his palm while he was holding the box down. Suddenly, it shook violently and became hotter and hotter with some cracks appeared on the surface. At this instant, the boy threw the box away and stomped out the room as a sense of danger rang in his head.

The plastic box explored….

Smoke burst out everywhere in the kitchen. Fortunately, the impact was small so nothing was broke. But one of the plastic sharp pieces went flying to the orange hair boy's right arm. The boy managed to retract his arm just in time as the sharp point only cut through a small part of the bandage covered around his palm.

Inside the smoke, a small ball with a ring attached to it front flew out and went straight to the workplace where Lala and the others were in.

This was Pryuma's last resort. He would use the ring to teleport Lala away right at this moment instead of fighting the guardian. He has underestimated him, there was something about that Earthling that he didn't feel normal.

Seeing the candidate was heading to Saibai's workplace. Rito gaped as he recalled the moment he walked out from that room, the door was never closed. The boy quickly sat up and gave chase.

Lala was in there, and she has no idea that a very dangerous person was coming to take her away from this place. Peke might not even has enough strength to hold him off for a short time, Pryuma would pierce through him with that red beam if someone dared to stand in his way. The man was a weapon maniac, his ambition was nothing more than a selfish desire.

If this kind of person marry Lala, happiness will never come to her.

Rito made a mad dash, shorten his distance from the flying weapon as it was still in his view.

The bug went in the room. Right in front of it stood a cheerful Lala waving a fan up down. The ring began to glowed brightly

"Lala and her intelligence will be mine !"-Pryuma roared, charging at her.

 _ **KSKKKksksksks !**_

"You don't get to decide that !"

With a quick movement, Rito threw a piece of the broken baseball bat at the floating weapon.

It hit the candiate's creation directly from behind, causing it to fall down on the floor.

With the bug unable to move, Rito sprunt at it with full speed. All the paper on the ground blew back by his step.

Pryuma stared at the screen with wide eyes, unbelievable at what he just did to his masterpiece.

"A person like you will never be able to marry Lala !"

Rito bended one leg backward while gliding with other one. Aiming to the opened window in front of his eyes, he swing his leg and kicked the immobilized threat away from the room, away from the apartment, from Lala.

It happened so fast that even Lala who stood near there watched in amazement although she has no idea what Rito was doing.

The boy hit the floor on his back in a painful way as his feet slipped off from the ground. It was such an intense moment.

Lying there, catching a breath. A thin smile formed on his face.

….that was so close.

"Rito, are you alright ? Why are you lying there ?"

Lala came to his vision, tilting her head a little bit.

"It's….wait, why are they look so pale ?"-Rito pointed at the three assistants all lied their heads on the desk in an exhausted state with some robot equipment attached to their hands.

"Lala….it's that…."

"It's my new invention~ ! I made it to help them work faster."

He sweat dropped.

"Alright, the manuscript is completed ! We're done !"-Saibai said in a happy tone, turning to Lala and the boy."Rito, there you are ! Look, I finished it ! We easily meet our deadline thanks to Lala-chan."

"Yay~ !"-she smiled brightly.

"I…..see."

The boy sat up, rubbing his head with his right hand.

…I guess I have missed a lot of work here.

"Rito-dono, your hand."-seeing some parts of the bandage on his hand has been torn off revealing the skin inside it, Peke called him.

Realizing what he was doing, Rito hastily stood up and hid his hand behind him in panic.

"I forgot ! I need to make coffee for everyone !"

He then left the room without letting anyone has a view of his hand, the part where the bandage was torn off.

"Rito~ ?"

The girl's emerald green eyes followed him, not knowing why he was in such a hurry. Saibai just looked at his son in silent.

Peke was confused. He has seen a little bit of what was behind that bandage.

However, he couldn't make out of what he just saw.

It was strange…..

It was red, almost like the color of blood…..

It was pale, like the color of the skin of a being when all the organs in its body stopped functioning for a long time.

It felt like hidden behind that bandage was an unknown thing that **didn't belong to an alive human**.

After a few moment pondering in his thought, Peke just sighed and shook it off his head.

Maybe it was just his imagination…..

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, that's the end of it. After done writing this and looked back, I realized that this was the longest chapter so far with nearly 8500 words. I hope this would make it up for the late update.**

 **This arc will be divided into two chapters so the length of the next one could be equal or shorter...or longer(shivers). And after this arc, there will be a surprise for you guys so look forward to it.**

 **magic135: about Yui and Nana, you know how tsundere work, right ? In my opinion, that part of their personality are what made them really likeable( my opinion, ok.). Anyway, thanks for your review and look forward to the next arc, like I said( or wrote ?) above there will be a surprise that I think you may like it.**

 **Well, that's everything for now.**

 **As always, please give me your review about this chapter. I will see you guys in the next one.**


	15. Chapter 15: Second threat-End

**Finally, I'm back with the last chapter of arc 4. And I'm late for the update again, sorry about that.**

 **magic135: I already thought of a few ideas to write an arc for Saki, Rin and Aya. They will make an appearance in the story soon so just look forward to it. Oh, and expect for the surprise I planned for the next chapter, I think you'll like it.**

 **ShadowDeath01: so far I can't tell you anything about him since it could spoil a part of the story. All I can say right now is that you guessed right, the nun is indeed none other than Index from To Aru Majutsu no Index series. But becareful not to focuse into that fact too much, because you might be confused after you read this chapter.**

 **Okay, enough with my mumbling.**

 **Enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15** **: ~Second threat_End~**

 _Two figures walked along a long corridor where every each corners of it was lighten up by an infinite number of stars from behind the invisible wall. One was a man and the other was a young boy who was staring into nothingness outside the wall with a blank expression. The man nodded in satisfaction while looking at theholographic program appearing on his arm._

" _Alright, we have the result of the first day of the unofficial test."-he cleaned close to the boy, showing him the screen."Here, take a look."_

 _The boy glanced at it and he narrowed his eyes. The sentences on the screen were written in many strange symbols that he didn't understand except a few one that he could recognize._

" _Sorry, I can't read it, I'm not familiar with your language yet."_

" _Oh, I forgot about that, let me read it for you then."_

 _The boy turned his eyes back to the dark space full of glittering stars, listening to the result of the test. Three cases of brawling, one of stealing and one of weapon dealer were what he has solved in the past three hours without any helps. The man decided to inform the local guard about the last case since it could be a threat to the citizens here._

" _I'm impressed. You finished five cases in a row in such a short amount of time."-the man patted the back of his companion."Although it's just the first day of the test, I say you have a pretty good start there."_

" _I don't think I would be happy about that since the test isn't over yet."-the boy said, still looking out the invisible wall."How long will it take?"_

" _Approximately 72 hours. Only two days left."-the man chuckled slightly."But with a result like this, I bet right now the [unit] would want you to join them more than ever."_

 _The boy stayed silent at the complimented. Without further words were exchanging, the long corridor returned to it atmosphere, a complete man briefly glanced at him as he thought back to all those moves that the kid had used in the test. It had his interest since it was quite unique._

 _The man recalled back to the first brawling case when the boy named Star used an unknown movement to stop two men from hitting against each other. It happened in an alleyway behind a futuristic mall, which was a good opportunity for Star to demonstrate the skills for him to see since no one else was there besides those two men. But just when he thought the boy was going to use those skill right on the spot, he was amazed. On the contrary to his expectation, Star tried to calm both of them down, convincing them to reconcile with each other. One was persuaded by the boy's words and apologized to the other._

 _However, the other guy never wanted to make peace with him and became more aggressive instead. He took out a pistol and aimed it at Star. Seeing the situation has turned into a life threatening one, the boy's companion was about to move in to stop him. But what happened next made the man widen his eyes in surprised. In a blink of an eye, Star had grabbed the head of the pistol and pushed the entire armagainst the back of the guy and held him down. The boy even put a fingertip between the trigger to prevent it from firing._

 _It's was fast and simple…..and a little risky since the pistol was aiming at point-blank thanks to that encounter that they knew there was a weapon dealer in the area. Thus, leading to the fifth case. Back to reality, the man shook off the silence atmosphere._

" _Star, about your skills...just where did you learn it? I've never seen anything like that before."_

"… _I learned it from…from…."_

 _ **KKSKSKSKSskskskskksksk!**_

 _Star rubbed his head making the man raised an eyebrow at him._

"… _.I…..I don't know…..I can't remember it. My arms just moved as if my instinct told me to."_

" _I see, so you don't even remember the name of your own skills, huh."-the man placed a hand at the back of his head, feeling a little disappointed for the boy."It must be hard having an amnesia."_

 _Star shifted his eyes back to the dark universe and another moment of silence came. In the man's eyes, the boy next to him was a mystery, a person with no memories attached and unknown origin. The man sighed and followed the kid's gaze to the distance where millions of stars were sparkling beautifully._

" _Hey kiddo, since you finished the first day of the test, want to go have some meal?"_

 _Star looked at him, surprised a bit by the sudden offer._

" _It's my treat. Come on, it can ease your stress a little."-he placed an arm around the boy's shoulder._

" _Yeah, let's do that."-Star smiled, his eyes soften."Thanks for the offer."_

" _Don't sweat it."-the man smiled back."Alright, I know just a place that has a lot of delicious stuff all over the galaxy, I think you might like it."_

 _The two continued to walk down the corridor, heading to a destination that far away from their own._

 _ **KKsksksksKSKskskskSsSkkk!**_

 _Then, the world around the boy changed color. Star rubbed his eyes a few time only to see a vision with blood red color surrounding him like it was the only color that exist in his vision._

 _ **KKSskSKKsskKSKSKSksksKSskksSKSKSKSKSksKSksSKS!**_

" _What's wrong?"-the man asked him._

"… _no…..nothing…"-he replied softly._

 _The blood red vision flicked continuously until it faded away like the darkness was slowly being overlapped by a bright light…_

 _ **KSKsksKSKksksKS….!**_

…

…..

 _ **KKKKKKKSKSKSksksSKKSsNIGksHTksKKMARESSKksSKKSSKSSKSKSKksKSADKKSkSKSSKSskSKSsKILLSKSSKSKSkSKSsksCOKSkRPskskSEsksskkskksSKsksKSskSSSksSK !**_

…..

…

…

A gust of wind rushed through a teenage boy with orange hair as he leaned on the balcony on the top floor of Sainan high school, eyes gazed toward the blue sky.

"So what happened after that?"

A second voice came from a boy with black spiky hair who was sitting next to him with a small bag full of handmade cookies in his hand. He put one in his mouth and chewed while waiting for an answer. Ito was also next to him, eating his bento.

"I kicked the weapon out the window and that's all, but I don't think this person who called himself Pryuma will give up so easily like that."

"So….basically, you and Lala-chan were going together yesterday and later you fought the candidate alone in the kitchen without letting anyone knows."-another boy with black spiky hair, which was pointing backward, spoke up. A tick mark popped out from his forehead."Damn you, Rito! Why didn't you call me to join you?! I'm so jealo-I mean I can help you by keeping an eye on Lala-chan's surrounding!"

Saruyama was not amused after knowing his friend and the alien girl were having a moment together the day before. But what made a vein appeared on his head was the fact that Rito faced the candidate alone and didn't call for his friend help.

"But I can't risk it, he was observing Lala and me from up close. If I did something suspicious he could have taken Dad and the others as hostages."

Saruyama opened his mouth again to say something but stopped. He didn't want to admit it but Rito was right. If yesterday he made a slightest mistake in his movements, Saibai and his three assistants could be in danger and Lala might have been being teleported away.

"Well, you got me there."-Saruyama scratched his head, not feeling comfortable at the thought and the situation his friend was in."But still, knowing that you fought that candidate guy alone makes me really frustrated. I'm a part of your group and yet I didn't even have a slightest idea that you and Lala were in danger, I could have helped you a bit."

That statement caused all eyes to turn to Saruyama. Daigo, Ito and Rito stared at him with pure surprise. In other words, they all gaped at the boy as none of them have expected such emotional words would come from his mouth. Ito put down the bento box and quickly walked over to Saruyama, grabbing his shoulders. The brown hair boy's eyes filled with worry.

"Saruyama, what type of bishoujo you like best?"

"Huh?"-Saruyama's eyes widen at the sudden question."Type like Lala-chan, of course."

"Do you like imouto type?"

"Yeah, having a little sister who wakes you up at every morning and cooks breakfast for you is one of the best things in your life. By the way, I like Mikan-chan's cooking."-he placed a hand to his chin while answered thoughtfully.

"Last question…do you love oppai?"

"Absolutely! That is a place where all the dreams, joys and hopes of every man and guys like me are entrusted. The truth of the universe!"-he said out loud with a hint of excitement filled in every word.

Ito gazed at him intensely for a few seconds. Then his expression changed from serious to a normal one.

"I see."-he spoke nonchalantly and turned to the others."It's alright, he's still the same perverted Saruyama that we know."

Rito and the spiky hair boy let out a sigh in relief.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"-Saruyama said pointing a finger at Ito."I'm serious here!"

"Sorry, for a moment I thought you was somebody else disguise."-the brown hair boy responded, patting Saruyama's shoulder gently."You don't usually say some touched words like that so we were a little surprised."

"A little?"-Saruyama looked at them with half-opened eyes, clearly not convinced."You guys were staring at me with your jaws dropped. More importantly, I say those words all the time!"

Daigo blinked twice at him. It's was kind of hard to believe that.

"All the time? When?"

"When I express my desires and feelings about bishoujo to my other classmates."

Proudly placing a hand on his chest, Saruyama spoke confidently, eyes sparkling dreamily while looked toward the sky. All three of his friends looked away and sweat dropped. Daigo was trying his best not to make eyes contact with Saruyama as he reminded him of a certain friend who was called the fetish king. Rito already knew the answer and how straight Saruyama could be, especially when it comes to his pervertness, but it was still kind of a little bit unpleasant to hear this directly from him. Ito on the other hand has no comment as he didn't know how to argue with that, he had never want to actually, yet sometime it was hilarious to watch though.

However, despite being a pervert from inside and out, Saruyama is the kind of person with good-hearted nature that you can fine everywhere in this town. Saying him was Rito and Ito's best friend wasn't for nothing, the fact that he was their best friend was enough to prove that.

But then again….

Unlike a slivery-blue hair boy and some others, the three found it difficult to get used to his perverted nature.

"Saruyama."-still looking away. Ito called him, his voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

"Hm?"

"Do you aware of why no girls wants to talk to you except Momioka and Sawada?"

"It's because I'm a pervert, right?"-Saruyama said that with a straight face and laughed.

The three boys glanced at him briefly. They all have the same thought.

….so he did aware of it.

"There's nothing wrong for me being true to myself, don't you agree?"-he spoke with self-confidence, slightly waving his hand around."I really like bishoujo so I say I like them….and oppai, too."

"I see. Then do you aware that right now you are in the morals committee's blacklist for being a potential threat to the school morals?"

The confidence look on Saruyama's face changed to a really surprised one almost instantly. He stared at Ito with both eyes opened wide.

"What did you just say?"-his voice quivered.

"You're in the moral committee's blacklist."

"Hold on a minute!"-now he panicked."Why the heck am I in their blacklist?! I didn't do anything wrong! And since when did they have a blacklist?!"

"Are you sure you didn't do anything wrong?"

"Of course I didn't do anything, I only commented about girls's oppai and three sizes."

Saruyama flinched as he started to realize what he just said. Ito patted his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look.

"See. That's why you're in their blacklist."

"Unbelievable!"-Saruyama grabbed his head and yelled."Just because of that!?"

Rito and the spiky hair boy smiled awkwardly at the sight. Leaving the two on their own talk, Daigo turned his head to Rito and asked more about the event from yesterday.

"By the way, how did you know that bug was the candidate's weapon?"

Rito scratched his cheek and sat down.

"I only noticed that when we arrived at the station near Dad's studio."

He closed his eyes and his mind drifted into the memories of that time. When the orange hair boy and Lala got off the train, he felt strange when a small bug flew past him.

The place where they were at was really clean and there was no sign of litter, yet why was there a bug in that place? Coincidence?….it could be. But the way it kept flying around them at a clear distance had eventually caught his attention. Finally, the moment it followed Lala and him into Saibai's apartment had raised Rito's caution level to maximum.

"…..after that, you know the rest."

"A stalker using machine-liked bugs to stalk people."-Daigo muttered, frowning."Thinking about this gives me the shivers."

Daigo grabbed another bite at the handmade cookies to let the sweet taste prevent him from digging too deep into that thought. He handed Rito a piece of his so they could both forget the creepiness of this stalker his friend was facing. Unfortunately, it didn't effective much, Daigo still felt himself paled a little.

Noticing the right palm of Daigo was wrapped in bandage, Rito raised an eyebrow at his friend in wonder.

"Hm? What's with the bandage?"

"Huh?"-Daigo gazed at his right hand."Oh, I did this to prevent more misfortunes come toward me."

"Prevent it?"

"Index said that letting it touch the air is good enough for misfortune to mess with me, so I decided to cover it and you know what's happening?"

Rito shook his head. Ito and Saruyama looked back at him as they heard a really interesting story.

"I haven't fell down the stairs or met anything bad this entire morning, so great!"

Daigo made a fist and raised it in excitement, smiling happily…until a mysterious pain aching in his stomach.

"….."

A question mark appeared on Saruyama, Ito and the orange hair boy head as the spiky hair boy went silence all of sudden.

Daigo paled, sweating when the pain in his stomach slowly increased.

"Ok….now that's strange…..I don't remember eating anything weird this morning."-the poor boy muttered quietly, enduring the pain.

"A-are you alright? Do you need to go to Mikado-sensei's office?"-Rito asked with concern hinted in his voice.

"No…I'm good."-Daigo flinched when the pain increasing more."On second thought…..I'm not feeling good."

Saruyama and Ito walked up to him. Ito bent down to see the expression on the boy's face.

"You look really pale, stomachache?"

Daigo nodded a few times and glanced at the bag filled with handmade cookies on his hand. He then widened his eyes in realization.

The breakfast he ate from this morning…that bottle of milk, and those leftover eggs in the refrigerator…..

Misfortune has struck him again…

Gritting his teeth, Daigo shoved the bag of cookies into Ito's hands and immediately raced down the staircase. Rito, along with Ito and Saruyama all stared at his back until he was finally out of their sight. The twin sweat dropped when a voice yelling "Such misfortune!" echoed from the floor below them. Saruyama was having a slight smirk on his face, both hands behind his head.

"Misfortune called out to him again."-was his comment."He sure has it rough."

The twin nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that's right."-Saruyama spoke as he realized they were off the topic and decided to bring it back to their conversation."About the candidate, are you sure he'll come back? I mean he failed to capture Lala multiple times."

"With that teleportation device in his hand, I doubt he would give up so easily."-the brown hair boy said.

"How do you know it a teleportation device?"

"It's just a hunch."-Ito shrugged and took out a small piece of the said machine from his pocket."But bases on what Rito just told us, this Pryuma guy is definitely has one. He was desperate to get to Lala after knowing how capable my brother is and tried to teleport her away with this small ring."

Saruyama leaned closer to get a good look at the small stuff, his eyes narrowed a bit as the ring was too small.

"It's so small, how can it teleport anything bigger than itself?"

"Well, it emits a light, you touch it and you'll disappear. That candidate wanted to use this on Lala so it must be."

Ito moved to the balcony and raised the hand where the ring lied near his mouth. Saruyama and Rito blinked at him as they had no idea what he was doing with it. To Saruyama's surprised, he blew it away.

The brown hair boy turned back while flicked off his hand, giving the two a confident look. Now they have known how the candidate was going to act, there is only one thing left to solve this trouble now.

Protecting Lala from that stalker and teach him a lesson not to decide a person's freedom for his own selfish desires.

Saruyama grinned and his smile started to get widen at the idea. Fire burned in his eyes.

"Alright, I'm all worked up! Let's g-"

"But before that, let's just enjoy the lunch break first."

Ito said nonchalantly as he sat down and continued to eat his lunch. Saruyama couldn't help but looked at the brown hair boy in dumbfound with all the excitements and thrills have completely left his body. He was in high spirit and yet this guy just crushed it within a second.

"What?! Why?! What about the plan you spoke of earlier?!"-he cried out loud."Shouldn't we go to Lala's side right now?! I mean she could be in danger, you know!"

Just like that, another thought struck his mind. Saruyama's eyes widen in shocked as he noticed a very important and critical point of Lala's safety.

"Wait, now that I think of it…"

The twin turned their eyes to him as he spoke.

"We're still standing here."

Ito nodded at his words.

"Then that means there is no one to protect Lala right now!"-Saruyama grabbed his head in slight panic."Why didn't I notice this sooner, just what are we doing up here the entire time?!"

They were staying here ever since break started and Lala went to chat with some of the girls in their class.

This was a fatal mistake since this could give the candidate a lot of opportunity to take her away. Saruyama quickly ran to the opened door near there and looked for the alien girl, afraid that she could be in danger right now without realizing it.

However, before he could make it to the door. Ito grabbed the behind of his collar which made him gave out a light choke.

"What are you-"

"Calm down, Saruyama. Lala won't be in danger."-his voice was calm.

"Huh?"-Saruyama stared at the boy, not getting what he meant.

Rito ran up to Saruyama and helped his friend sit up.

"We will be the one in danger if we stay close to her."-he said adding the explanation."Not to mention the whole school could be involved."

"What do you mean the whole school?"

"Think about it, Pryuma has already failed to teleport Lala away more than twice. I doubt he can keep calm about the fact that he lost to us, a bunch of filthy Earthlings in his eyes. He might become more aggressive the next time we meet so I don't think us being near Lala is a good idea at this point. That alien could have taken others as hostages to threaten us and we absolutely not want that kind of situation to happen again."

The memories of Sairenji being kidnapped came back to Rito's mind right at this moment. Like his brother has said, this was one of the scenarios that he has determined not to let it occurs ever again.

"To sum it up, either he'll find us to take revenge first or he'll going to take Lala away right on the spot first."

"I see, it makes sense."-Saruyama scratched the back of his head, slightly amazed by the fact that these two has thought that far ahead."But what are we going to do now? We can't just leave Lala alone like that."

"Indeed."

They couldn't let Lala being exposed to danger nor they couldn't let that candidate has a chance to capture her freedom. Such a dilemma they had.

However, this circumstance is a dilemma to **only them** …

A confidence smile flashed on Ito's face as he raised a hand and pointed a finger to his head.

"That's why I have a plan."

…..

Pryuma was trembling in rage as he looked down on the image of an orange hair boy. Never before has he felt this much humiliation in his life. Even with the weapon or the masterpiece as he called it, the creation that he was so proud of had been turned into nothing more than a junk in front of his very eyes. Not only that, his pride as a noble has been completely shattered by a mere Earthling from an isolated planet in the galaxy.

He has had enough of this. Losing more than twice to those guardians was unacceptable. This time he will head straight to the Devilukean's princess and teleport her to his place. He didn't care about dealing with those brats anymore. Lala's intelligence is everything he needs to make the strongest and deadliest weapon to help him rules over all the planets and the strength of the Deviluke Empire.

"Once I have married Lala, I will make this planet vanish."-he mumbled as he held the controlled level and pressed a button.

The big screen flicked and the image of Sainan high school appeared on it. To be more precisely, the entire school ground was on the screen with an angle looking down from above. The screen zoomed into one of the corridor where the alien girl was standing near the window, talking with Sairenji and another two girls, one with short brown hair and one with black pigtails. The corner of Pryuma's mouth lifted and formed into an evil grin.

...those foolish brats. None of them are there to protect her, they must be thinking that I have given up on my dear Lala after what had happened. How mistakable.

Pryuma's surrounding shook a little as he pulled the level. He was no longer watching and controlled his weapon from far away. At this moment, he was controlling the weapon from inside itself as Pryuma has decided to do this personally by his own skills to teleport the girl away more easily. And now that she is all alone he will do this without fail.

…..but just to take precaution, I will use "that".

The bug descended from the sky and flew toward the pink hair girl's location.

"Here I come, Lala."

…..

"Say, Lala-chii. It's it true that you are Yuuki-kun's bribe?"

"Huh?"-Lala blinked at the sudden question of the brown hair girl.

"We heard the rumor~."-the girl with pigtails said playfully.

"Risa, Mio. You two shouldn't….."-Sairenji spoke to a halt.

"It's fine. We just want to hear it directly from Lala-chii."-Risa waved a hand."Besides, the whole school has already known about this so it won't hurt."

Sairenji tried to say something back but couldn't. Despite the orange hair boy has told her that it was just a fault rumor, she knew that deeply inside her, she also wanted to know the truth of that rumor from Lala, too.

"So tell us the truth, Lala-chii."

"We really want to hear it from you."

"Hm~, well…"

Sairenji felt her heart throbbed a little while she, along with the two girls, waiting for the answer.

"I made it up."

The girls's eyes widen at the honest reply.

"Eh?"

"Why?"

"Lala-san…"

"I was in a trouble at that time so I did that out of desperate."

"What kind of trouble?"-Risa asked with curious.

Lala was about to tell them about her being the Deviluke's successor and all the fiancé, candidates stuff but she remembered Rito has told her to keep this as a secret. If her identity as an alien be exposed to public it could be a huge problem.

"Ehehe~, I'm sorry."-She clasp her hands, smiling sheepishly."It's a family issue so I can't really tell you."

"I see. Well, if Lala-chii say so then we won't push this topic any further."-Risa shrugged, seeming lost interest.

"But why did you choose someone like Yuuki?"

Thanks to that question from Mio, Risa felt her curiosity went up again and so did Haruna.

"Because Rito helped me with my trouble~."-Lala smiled happily.

Risa and Mio stared at her much to their stunned. It was a surprise to hear that a naïve, soft spoken boy like Rito could have helped a pretty girl as Lala.

"He helped you? That Yuuki?"

"You seems surprised."

"Of course, we're talking about Yuuki here. Usually he doesn't talk much and always looks up the sky when it's break time. Most of the time he talked was with Saruyama and the other boys in our class, he barely talked to girl."

"He doesn't look like the type who's good at taking care of others so we were a little bit surprised when you said that."

"That's not true."-a timid voice spoke up.

Lala, Risa and Mio turned their eyes to the person. Sairenji was the one who spoke those words.

"Yuuki-kun is a kind person, he does talk a lot more than you think."

Sairenji felt her cheek redden. Risa and Mio raised an eyebrow at her. Slowly, a mischievous smile formed on the girls's faces.

"Oho~, now this is surprising."

"Haruna~, your cheek is red. Do you have something you want to say to us?"

Haruna covered her cheek and flustered. Like a switch being flipped, the two stepped close to her, raising both hands up.

"N-no, I….I just…."

"Come on, tell us. Otherwise, we'll take care of your body to the fullest~."-Risa smirked.

"Haruna is right."-The alien girl said which made the two girls looked back at her."Rito helped me a lot when I came here the first time. He also explained to me about the culture here and showed me around so he really is a kind person."

Even though they not quite believed it, her words still struck their mind. The quiet and strange images of an orange hair boy slowly changed inside Risa and Mio's head. In their eyes, that boy has no impression and simply a stranger to them. And now, their opinion about him changed a bit for the better thanks to Lala.

"If Lala-chii says so. I guess we can't judge the book by its cover."-Mio said thoughtfully, putting a hand on her chin.

"We believe you, Lala-chii. And more importantly…"-Risa and Mio turned their now sparkled eyes to Haruna."Haruna~, what was that blushed on your cute face from earlier?"

"Tell us Haruna, we won't tell anyone~."

Sairenji backed away a few steps, feeling flustered and nervous as the two girls approached her. Their fingers moved as if they were going to grabbed her and doing some "skin contact".

"…eh..no…n-nothing."

"Really? We'll force you talk though skin-ship then~."-Risa licked her lip.

A high pitched voice later echoed through the corridor as the two grabbed Sairenji and thrust their hands under her blazer to do the tickle. Lala stared at them as she has no idea what they were doing but since it was the first time she saw the act…..

"Heh~, it looks kind of fun."-was what inside her head.

Lala was about to join in until a familiar figure appeared in the corner of her eyes.

Rito waved quietly at her while sticking his head out of the corner from the other side of the hallway.

…..Rito?

"Seems like Rito-dono is calling you, Lala-sama."-Peke whispered.

The orange hair boy retracted his head and went out of her view. Lala quickly followed him, wondering what he wants to say to her.

But Lala and Peke didn't notice. The moment when the girl ran past a few students to reach the end of that hallway, a boy with pure red hair glanced at them briefly over his shoulder as he was leaning against a window.

A gentle wind flew past him which made some red string of his short hair floated up. It wasn't like any normal red color, it was deep red with a lot more darker shade like the color of a substance that every living being on Earth have.

The color of **blood**.

The figure of the alien girl reflected on his eyes which matched the hair's color. His eyes was different from everyone around him, inside the iris was a small black vertical slit making the boy's eyes even more sharp and it became one of the features that distinct him from the other.

Besides from the cold expression, on his face was a scar that runs down from the right side of his forehead to the left cheek. It was blurry yet visible enough for the person who stands near him to see.

The red hair boy straighten his gesture when Lala has turned at the corner. Silently, he walked there with both eyes followed the girl's back….

…...

"I'm still feeling a little worry though."

"Don't worry, with this plan of us Lala will be safe."

Finishing his lunch, Ito stood up and stretched both hands, totally relax with the calmness and peaceful atmosphere up here on the rooftop. Saruyama was having the opposite, he let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't get to show how cool I am to Lala-chan."

Ito sweat dropped at his words.

"It's okay, you'll get the chance next time."-the brown hair boy patted on Saruyama's shoulder."…..if there is one."

Saruyama stared at him with half-opened eyes, Ito also stared back at him but adding a forced smile to his face. Saruyama rolled his eyes and looked at the bag of handmade cookie in the hand of another person who sat next to him.

"That reminds me, what's taking Daigo so long?"

"I think he'll be back here soon, Saruyama."

 **Rito was sitting to his left** , staring at the blue sky once more while putting a cookie to his mouth.

…did I just see something move down from up there?

Just when the orange hair boy finished, the creaking sound of a door echoed in the air. The three turned their heads and saw the black spiky hair boy walked out from it. His face was a little paled after "the battle" with his stomachache.

"Oh, speak of the devil."-said Saruyama.

Daigo walked toward his friends in a slow pace, he waved at them.

"I'm back."

…..

"Rito~, where are we going?"

Lala tried to catch up with the boy who kept appearing behind at each corner. When she turned at a cross section, she always saw him stood at the far side of the hallway. That [boy] was strangely fast.

"Wait up!"

Running past a few more hallways, Lala managed to reach him. They arrived at the area behind the school where the top of the old school building could be seen from here. Peke's eyes darted around the place.

…hm? There's no one here?

The place where they stood was empty with only Lala and the [boy] in front of her.

"Rito, what are we doing out here?"

The figure of the orange hair boy slowly turned back to face her. Lala's eyes widen as a creepy smile was showing on his face, a faint light appeared around him.

"I come here to get you, my dear Lala."-an older voice escaped from the figure's mouth."Since you are wasting your time and intelligence on this planet, I refer if you would come with me."

"Rito-dono, your voice sounds weird."

"Of course."

The faked Rito faded away as the light became brighter and minimized itself into a form of a bug. Peke and Lala were shocked at the sight.

"Rito has turned into a bug!?"

"That Earthling brat is not here. The one who lead you here is me, your soon-to-be husband, the fearsome Pryuma-sama."

"Who?"

Pryuma fell off from the chair, stunning by the girl's respond.

"It's me, Pryuma! I am a genius in creating weapon and also one of your candidates! You don't know me?!"

"Nope, I never heard of that name."-Lala answered honestly.

Pryuma facepalm himself. This wasn't what he expected. His plan was to use the advanced technology to create an image of one of the guardians to lure her here. He was hoping that the Deviluken's princess knows him since this could shorten the amount of time he be here in this school, which could become a dangerous place for himself if he stayed here any longer. He extremely mad at the orange hair boy who had destroyed his masterpiece but at the same time he was also afraid of him. That boy was not a normal Earthling.

…..it can't be help then, I need to take her away from here immediately.

"Then come with me, Lala. I'll tell you about myself and we can marry to each other."

"I refuse."

The candidate stared at her with wide eyes. Now his short-tempered attitude starts to resurface.

"Why not? Your vast-intelligence and your skills are suitable for me to build a supreme weapon that can help me rule the galaxy! We both can stand on the top of this world and you can be with me! Don't you see that?!"

"I don't want to marry you and I don't like the way you putting it at all."-Lala said sternly."I came here to escape from this successor issue that Papa planned for me so I have no intention of marrying to you or any other candidates. And I also have someone I like."

Pryuma stayed silent. His face darkened at her refusal.

"I see, then I have no choice but to take you by force then!"

The teleportation device inside the bug began to emit a bright light. With the weapon close to Lala, Pryuma charged right at her as he believed he could catch her successfully at this distance.

Surprisingly, the alien girl dodged the bug-like weapon by moving to the side. Pryuma didn't seem to be stunned by this as he quickly control the bug to turn around and launched at her with full speed.

"You are fast, my dear Lala. But you won't be able to match my weapon!"

"Lala-sama!"

Peke said out loud like an alerting bell to his master. Lala tried to dodge again but couldn't. That bug was too fast for her to make it in time.

Lala closed her eyes at the bright light the bug was emitting toward her, preparing for the worst scenario to happen.

But in that exact moment, a voice spoke to her from behind.

"Tilt your head to the left."

Lala moved her head like the voice said out of reflex. Then a strong gust of wind flew past the right side of her head.

Nothing happened.

She didn't feel anything change.

Lala slowly opened her eyes. Peke and her eyes widen as they saw an arm stretched over her right shoulder. The hand was making the form of a fist. Pryuma was nowhere to be seen.

Lala turned around to look at the person who stood behind her.

It was the red hair boy.

"…..you're…."-Lala uttered a single word, she didn't know what to say to him.

Without a word, the boy silently retracted his arm and opened the palm for Lala and him to see the thing he was holding inside. The bug-like weapon was lying motionless in the middle of his palm, completely broken apart like it was being crushed by the tip of each fingers. Moreover, next to the machine laid an unconscious person, his body was smaller comparing to the machine which he was sitting in just a moment ago.

"Is that…Pryuma?"-Peke wondered.

…

"The plan is a success."

Ito nodded in satisfaction and smiling at the sight. The brown hair boy along with the others was watching the alien girl from the rooftop of the building that the nearest to the area where Lala and that red hair boy was standing.

"So fast, I thought I saw something flashed from that small bug."-Saruyama spoke, still feeling a bit stunned after witnessing the abilities of Pryuma's weapon."Oh well, at least Lala-chan is safe now."

He turned to Ito.

"But I don't get it, you said the ring will teleport anything it touches when it emits a light, right? How come it didn't teleport him?"

"When I examined the ring last night, I discovered an interesting fact. Once the ring has been activated to teleport a thing, it won't be able to teleport anything else in touch within a few seconds. I tried to make it teleport two yen coins at the same time but only one disappeared so I figured that we could take this chance as our advantage. Capture him in that short amount of time before the ring could activate again."-Ito leaned against the balcony, his eyes directed at the red hair boy."But to do that we're going to need accuracy so I asked him for help."

"But how did he do that? I saw him caught it directly with his hand."

"He probably placed a coin or something with similar size inside his palm. The weapon made contact with it first so it couldn't teleport him."-Daigo explained.

Nodding at his words, Saruyama started to grasp the meaning, alien's technology sure is confusing like all the device in sci-fi anime he has watched. He turned around to ready to get back to class but he noticed the orange hair boy wasn't here with them.

"Hm? Where is Rito?"

"Down there."-Daigo pointed a finger to the schoolyard below.

Following the direction of his hand, Saruyama saw Rito ran toward Lala and that boy with an expression could be described as relief on his face.

…..

"Lala!"

"Ah, Rito~, this person just saved me from another candidate."

Rito moved his eyes to the red hair student as he stepped close and stretched out his hand to him, placing the unconscious Pryuma with his broken machine into his hand.

"You guys take it from here."-that boy spoke, referring to him and the three who was watching them on top of the building.

"Alright."-Rito nodded at him.

The school bell rang sweeping away the silent atmosphere hanging in the area around them. With no more word to exchange, the red hair boy gave Rito a light pat on the shoulder and moved past him, heading back to his classroom.

"Thanks, Ryuuma!"-Rito looked back and thanked him.

The boy named Ryuuma simply waved back at him and went out of their sight as he walked into the school building.

"Rito-dono, who is that person?"

"His name is Ryuuma, Kamijou Ryuuma. He's a close friend of mine and he also works at Yorozuya, too."

"I see, so he is Rito's friend. Somehow his eyes seems cold."

"Well, he might look cold on the outside because of his appearance. But don't pay too much attention to it, Lala. He's a good person."

"No, not at all. I'm happy."-Lala smiled, she was glad that Ryuuma has stopped that candidate in the nick of time.

"I see."-Rito scratched his cheek.

Lala suddenly went and hugged him much to his surprised.

"And I'm glad Rito came here, too~."

"Ah! Wait, Lala! I'm still holding the candidate."

"Oh, I forgot."

Releasing the boy from her grasp, Lala took out the D-Dial and "called" a toilet-like machine. The invention appeared, Lala opened its cover and dropped the small alien into the spinning water along with his broken weapon.

"All right, that should take care of it."

She turned back to Rito who paled a little when he saw Pryuma drown in that water. He didn't think he could get use to this.

The two hurriedly back to class as the school's bell stopped.

Time continued to flow…

Later after the last lesson had ended, Lala and Rito received a message from Zastin when they arrived at home. For some reasons, Pryuma has declared that he will never chase after Lala's vast-intelligence again. The man also secretly retired after that and didn't tell a single word to anyone about his encounters with the princess's guardian.

With that said. The information about the guardian, Yuuki Rito, has once again become a mystery to every candidates around the galaxy.

And just like that, the second threat has ended…...

 _ **ARC 4: Pryuma**_

 _ **End**_

* * *

 **Author's note: I don't think I have much to say in this note but oh well.**

 **This time two new character has make an appearance and they all work in the same workplace as Rito. For those who has watched Gintama, you must have noticed this Gin is pretty similar to that Gin in both appearance and personality, lazy, silvery-blue hair, etc. I created this character based on him so I guess you can say that he is Sakata Gintoki, highschool's version. Just like Ito, I also have a lot of reason to make this character appear in the story.**

 **I will reveal it later when the story has progressed to some certain points.**

 **And with this, the first five members of the Yorozuya has made an appearance.**

 **Before , as I've already stated in the last chapter, in the next arc there will be a surprise in the story so I hope you will look forward to it.  
**

 **Well, that's everything for now. I'll see you the next arc.**


	16. Chapter 16: Trouble-Morality

**Alright, the new arc is here.**

 **Please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love Ru.**

* * *

 _ **ARC 5: Summer Stalker**_

 **Chapter 16** **: ~Trouble_Morality~**

Light slowly illuminated the dark room where a girl was sleeping soundly. As it came to her, the sound of a ringing clock woke her up. She sat up, wiping the sleepiness from her eyelids and got out of bed to head to the bathroom. After finishing the usual early morning activities, she went to the living room where a tall young man with light brown spiky hair who was sitting on the sofa, playing with his cell phone.

"Oh, you woke up. Mom left your breakfast on the table."-he spoke when he saw her walked into the room.

"Uhm."-the girl nodded at him and looked around."Where is mother?"

"Mom left the house earlier to buy some ingredients and stuff."

"I see."-she turned to her brother."And why are you still here, onii-chan? I thought you have college today."

"My class starts in the afternoon, hurry and go eat breakfast or you'll be late for school, Yui."-the brother answered while lazily waved a hand at her.

"I know that."

Kotegawa Yui narrowed her eyes at his words, slightly annoyed by her brother's nonchalant attitude. He didn't have to tell her twice about it. Being late for school was one of many important factors that could negatively affect a student's morality. So of course, she would never allow that to happen to herself.

As the cell phone in his hand rang, the brother listened with a hint of joy ran through his face.

"Ah, Kaori-chan! I'm done, where do you want to meet?"

Yuu's loud voice caught his sister interest making her turned to look at him as he spoke with the person in the phone.

"At the station? Okay, I'll be right there."-Yuu chuckled."Yeah, it's a date."

Kotegawa Yuu stood up as he put away the cell phone into his pocket, he grabbed a coat hanging behind him and walked to the door.

"Yui, I'm going out. Lock the door before you head to school."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going on a date with my girlfriend."

"D-d-date?!"-a tinge of red appeared on Kotegawa's cheeks."Shouldn't you worry about your class this afternoon?"

"It's fine, I have the entire morning for myself. It's not like I have any homeworks to do."-he walked out the living room, didn't forget to remind his sister again."Lock the door when you go out, Yui."

Kotegawa watched the door closed in irritation. Now she was wondering why her brother was so carefree. And what was that about dating? Why would he wastes his time on such an unnecessary thing instead of focusing on his works at college?

A long sigh escaped from Kotegawa's lip. She didn't get why her brother looked so joyful when he headed out. It made no senses and it was really troublesome whenever she thought about these kind of thing that her brother was into.

…so shameless.

…..

Walking among the small alley, Yui covered her dark brown eyes and looked up the cloudless sky. Season changed, it was a bright sunny day but the weather was hot. A small drop of sweat dripped down from the long black hair girl as she could feel the heat streaming through her skin at every corners of the road. Obviously, it didn't help her mood to get any better.

…..so hot.

"Rito, why is it so hot this early in the morning?"

Hearing a voice near there, Kotegawa faced forward and saw a pair of student walked out from a corner of the street ahead of her. One of them had an attractive long pink hair and the other was a boy with orange hair.

"Summer came. If you feel hot in this time of the day than be prepared for an even hotter afternoon."

They were talking, not noticed a girl who was watching them from behind. Kotegawa took a quick glance at them, especially the girl with emerald green eyes. Her eyes fixed on her as she had a feeling that the girl looked familiar.

…..that girl…..did I see her somewhere before?

"Summer?"-the girl turned her head to the orange hair boy.

"It's one of the four seasons on Earth. The weather is usually hot around this time of year, but sometime we have rains to cool down the hot air a bit."

The alien girl raised a hand above her eyes, covering her face from the heat of the bright sun.

"We don't have summer on Deviluke…"-she paused all of sudden causing the boy to look at her."It's so hot, maybe I should just spend the day without clothes."

Rito quickly paled when Lala was about to reach her collar and untie the knot.

"Lala, you can't!"

"Tee hee~, I'm just joking. You're overreacting, that's so cute~."-she smiled cutely.

"Please don't joke like that."

Rito let out a small sigh, felt like he nearly had a heart attack. Knowing how carefree Lala was when she was at home, for a second he thought she was going to do it for real which made him panicked.

Yui stared at them with her mouth wide opened, her face flushed in deep crimson color.

…w-w-what is she saying?! Such lack of common sense, so shameless!

Then Yui's eyes widened in realization as a memory struck her. She recognized that girl, she was the famous transfer student that all the boys in her class and the entire school had caused an uproar once from that time. Even right now, she is still a popular topic in her class, a cheerful girl with a highly attractive figure.

….Lala Satalin Deviluke.

Kotegawa shifted her eyes to the boy walked next to her. She didn't recognize him but that rumor about Lala being someone's bride, which caused another ruckus in the school, has brought an idea to Kotegawa's mind. Seeing them so close like that, that boy must be the person in the rumor. As a member of the disciplinary committee, she could never let this slide.

….Those two are the reason why the school's moral has been being disrupted lately, I need to stop this right away.

Kotegawa increased her pace to approach the two. But before she could call out to them, another figure appeared at the corner of her view. That person was wearing a hoodie that covered his entire head and a sunglass, he stood behind the wall while watching the pair. Kotegawa had no idea what he was doing but it seemed to her that the suspicious stranger was peeking the transfer student with a camera on his hands.

…..is that a stalker?!

As he began taking pictures of Lala, a "flash" sound coming from the camera went into Rito's ears and the boy turned back to look at the source.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Being noticed by the orange hair student, the stalker immediately ran away making Kotegawa stepped aside in surprised as he almost bumped into her. While Kotegawa was still gaining her thought of the situation, Rito has already run past her and gave chase to that suspicious person.

"Rito, wait for me!"

Lala also followed behind him, not really understood why the guardian ran all of sudden. Kotegawa just stood there watching them with a bewildered expression on her face for a few seconds. Until she came back to her sense, the two has already out of her sight.

…..

…wh-what just happened?! Was that man targeting the transfer student?

Kotegawa thought about the event in this morning as she was sitting in her class. It was lecture time but she couldn't get herself to concentrate on the lesson. She was worried and felt a little irritated at the moment. Not only did she lost the chance to tell them about the girl's lack of common sense and the troubles that they caused to the moral committee but another problem has also arise. That person in hoodie she saw back then was a real stalker since it wasn't normal to see somebody wearing that kind of outfit in this hot weather.

As a member of the student committee, her duty was to maintain the order, morality of the school and everyone in it. If someone from outside the school has any bad intentions toward Sainan student, she will need to prevent it right away. However, she would have to see this through before making any judgments. For now, Kotegawa's notes in her mind that her first priority is to tell those two to stop their shameless acts.

…I should go see the transfer student and that boy first, then we'll deal with the stalker problem later. Student's morality is important after all.

Only a few more minutes and break time would come. Hopefully, the transfer student and that boy would still be in their classroom when she goes there to meet them.

Kotegawa's line of thought was cut short when some loud footsteps echoed outside the hallway. She, along with many students in her class, turned to look and her eyes widened in shock. That stalker from the morning just ran past her class, why was he in this school?! And right behind him was the orange hair boy in the rumor who was chasing after him.

….what are they doing?!

Confusing, Kotegawa quickly stood up and went out of class to follow them. She was a part of the disciplinary committee and those two were violated the school's rule for running fast on the hallway so it was easy for her to have permission from the teacher. After giving chase for a good distance, the bell rang as break time came.

"You two, stop right there! No running in the hallway!"-seeing the stalker and the boy from ahead of her, Yui called out to them with a stern voice.

The person in the hoodie startled and looked behind him, giving Kotegawa an annoyed look.

"Tch! Another one?"

He made a quick turn to the left side of the corridor and ran up the staircase. In that split of second when he turned, his movement was slow down a bit to reach the stair without catching on the fast momentum he was using. Seizing the chance to catch the stalker, Rito sprinted toward him and grabbed his clothe but didn't success…..much. The stalker managed to dodge his hand but the strap on his camera wasn't lucky like its owner as Rito caught it and held it tightly in his palm which cutting the strap in the process. However, the stalker didn't give up and ran up the stair in an effort to get away from this boy as fast as he could.

Up there, a male student was walking down the stair, apparently didn't pay attention to the chase happening right under his feet. The stalker pushed the student down the stairs, using his overweight status as an obstacle to stop the persistent boy. Finally caught up to Rito, Kotegawa tried to have some words with him but her attention was shifted to the student who was about to fall down right on top her and the boy.

Rito quickly let go the camera in his hand and stood in front of Kotegawa. He stretched out both hands trying to catch the big guy despite his weight. The girl closed her eyes on reflex, waiting for a painful impact.

"…."

But nothing happened after a few seconds had passed. Kotegawa slowly opened her eyes, wondering for what just occurred and she was surprised by the sight. The overweight student was lying on the ground right underneath Rito's right arm, his palm was still gripping the male student's shirt. It was strange, no sound nor impact was heard so how did that student land right there on the ground without creating any sounds? More importantly, not a single trait of hurt was on his face, instead it was pure surprise.

"Oh, that was the smoothest landing ever, I didn't feel hurt at all!"-the student sat up and hugged Rito in joy."Th-thank you so much for protecting me!"

Rito didn't response, he just gave him a wry smile while both eyes glued to the stairs where the stalker had escaped. Then the male student ran off, leaving the two behind. Rito picked up the camera and looked back at the long hair girl who was still a little bit shocked.

"Um, are you alright?"

That question pulled Kotegawa out from her line of thought. She shook her head and let out a small cough to regain her composure.

"You're Yuuki Rito, am I right?"-receiving a nodded from him, she continued."I need to have a talk with you, do you have a minute?"

"Y-yes, what is it?"

"My name is Kotegawa Yui, I'm a member of the disciplinary committee. What happened? Why were you two running on the hallway?"

"I tried to catch him."-the boy replied and showed her the camera he took from the stalker."He was peeking a girl in my class just a moment ago."

"Peeking?"

"In the middle of the lecture."

Kotegawa took the camera and examined it carefully. There were a lot of picture taken inside the tool, most of them were the photo of girls in Sainan high school including the transfer student.

…..I need to report this to the teacher.

"I will confiscate this. Yuuki Rito, I want you to come with-"-Kotegawa couldn't finish her word. When she turned to look at him, he has already run up the stairs."Hey! I'm not done talking yet!"

She quickly went up to the upper floor but was too late, Rito has rushed off to somewhere before she could even place her foot on the next hallway. Kotegawa began to feel irritated.

…..t-that boy, how could he run off like that when I haven't finish my word?!

"Such lack of common sense."-she muttered quietly under her breath.

…..

"Yuuki-kun hasn't come back, huh?"

"Hm~, I wonder if something happened to him."

Sairenji and Lala stood outside the class, both were gazing at the direction the boy ran off to.

"Well, I think he probably went to the bathroom."-Saruyama stuck his head out the window, adding a comment for the girls's conversation.

A few moment ago, while Honekawa-sensei was explaining the lesson, Rito suddenly stood up and stomped out the classroom like he was in a hurry for something. The whole class was surprised since that was the first time they saw him act like that. Saruyama just stared at the door with a question mark on his head. Ito had an idea why since he heard another footstep besides from Rito but remained silent afterward. After all, Rito didn't tell them anything about what had happened before he and Lala went to school.

"Lala-chii, Haruna. Let's go."-Risa called them with Mio stood next to her.

"Ah, okay."

"Yay~, we'll be swimming in next period."

The girls grabbed their stuff and went off to the changing room. Now, staying with the rest of the boy, Saruyama let out a small sigh.

"It's a shame we can't go take the swimming lesson with Lala-chan and the girls."

"We? You're not include me in there, are you?"-Ito raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I don't. You want to?"-Saruyama turned to the brown hair boy who was leaning against the wall near him.

"No."-Ito said, not interested and went back to read the novel he was holding.

"Figures."

Saruyama sat on a table behind him, his eyes looked back at Rito's desk.

"Hey, do you know why Rito suddenly ran out the class in the middle of the lesson?"

"No, but I can think of a few possibilities why my brother did that."

"Really? Tell me some of it."

Ito sat down on a chair opposite to Saruyama, his expression remained unchanged as he still gazed at the pages.

"Earlier, when Rito ran off I heard another footsteps besides him outside the room so I guess Rito could be chasing someone right now, although I don't really know why."

"Then let's go find him, maybe he had spotted another candidate and tried to protect Lala-chan from them."

"Good guess, but let's not do that."

"Huh?"-Saruyama widened his eyes."Why not?"

"He hasn't told us anything yet. If the person who he was chasing is really an outsider from space, he would have told us since it's an important matter that could involves Lala's safety, and perhaps everyone else, too."-Ito flipped another pages and looked at his friend."But he didn't do that so I don't think this is something serious. Let him handle it by himself."

"Alright, if you say so."-Saruyama gave him a light nod."But you seems to take this lightly, you know? Don't you think of a chance that Rito could be in trouble?"

"I'm serious. Even if he's in trouble right now, he'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

Ito looked straight into Saruyama's eyes, smiling in confidence.

"…no, it's just my hunch."

That respond made Ito earned a blank stare from Saruyama. Ito covered his face with the novel and tried to ignore the uncomfortable look his friend is giving.

…..

After the orange hair boy went off without a word, Kotegawa had handed the confiscated camera to her sensei in the teacher's office and went around the school to look for him again. Now walking on a hallway, Kotegawa looked around hoping that she could catch a glimpse of Rito and that man in hoodie. Running on the corridor is against the rule but now she has a stalker moving around in the school ground. She had a lot of thing to question both of them, especially that orange hair boy. Ignoring someone and ran off while they spoke was rude and she will not let it slide, even if he saved her from being landed on by that large student.

Kotegawa slowly turned red when she thought back to that moment, she could feel the warm on her cheeks. Realizing that she was distracting herself, Kotegawa shook her head.

…wait! What was I thinking?! Focus! I need to focus on the duty.

"Fufufu, this girl is amazing, watching her like this sure make my heart skips."

A cold chill ran down the girl's spine as a creepy laugh came out from the room near there.

"Ah~, so beautiful. Those cute faces."

Thinking that could be the voice of the man in hoodie, Kotegawa quickly opened the door and stomped in to catch him.

"Moral committee member's here! Stop your shameless act right no-"

Kotegawa couldn't utter anymore words as she was speechless at the sight. That creepy laugh she heard before belonged to non-other than the principal. She knew that because the old man was holding a porn magazine in his hand and a perverted smile could be seen on his face. Kotegawa was not amused.

"Oh no~."-a girly voice let out from you-know-who.

Tick mark appeared on Yui's head.

"What kind of dirty book you brought into school, principal?! So shameless!"

…

Spending nearly half an hour to lecture the perverted headmaster had begun to make the irritation growing more in the student committee's member. Kotegawa went to have another look around the school to find that stalker and Rito. Lucky for her, she knows where the stalker are now thanks to the conversation she overheard from a group of students.

It was said that they saw a suspicious guy with the sunglass and hoodie lurking near the gym. Kotegawa immediately headed toward the told location but didn't find anything.

…..he's not here, where could he be? I will not allow another trouble to disrupt the school's order, I need to look more.

Just when Kotegawa was about to leave the place, a sound echoed inside a room near there caught her attention, following after it was a deep voice that increased her caution. Inside the dark room, where the gym equipment was stored, sat a man with the trademark sunglasses, the stalker that Kotegawa was finding.

"Kukuku, I'm well prepared! Now I just need to wait for the girl to be in the swimming pool."

Knowing this was her chance to catch him red-handed, she stepped in and pointed at him.

"You there! What are you doing in here?"-she said sternly, raised her voice a little bit to emphasize the fact.

The man jolted and turned around in panic.

"No outsider are allowed here. Who are you? Why are you in this school?"

"Tch! You again."-he stood up.

"Don't try to run away."-Kotegawa crossed her arms."Answer my questions and come with me to the teacher's office."

"There's no way I'm going with you!"

The man kicked the bucket he was sitting on, making all the tennis balls in it to roll on the round where Kotegawa was standing much to her surprised. As it wasn't enough, the man dashed out the room and locked the door, leaving the girl alone in there.

"Ah! Hey!"

Kotegawa didn't react in time as she stumbled on one of the balls and lost her balance. She quickly stood up and grabbed the door-knob, using all her strength to open it but it won't flinch.

"Open the door!"

"Muahahaha! That won't happen!"-he laugh mockingly at her word as if he had won."Well, goodbye."

"Wait! Where are you going? Open it up!"

No respond, the stalker has already left.

"Shame on you!"

The girl made several attempts to call for help but no use. Around this hour everyone was in a break so there was no one at the gym or near this area. Moreover, she left the phone inside her school bag. Yui looked around the room in hope that she could find a window or a hole that she could use to get out of here.

….no window.

With no way to escape, all she could do was wait for someone to open the door.

Yui didn't afraid at the situation she was in as she knew some of the students from other club activities would eventually make their way to this place at some point in break time and take the equipment they need. However, she felt worried about the stalker running freely in the school without no one knows. The school's order could be turned into a bad state if the moral committee member didn't do something.

Kotegawa let her back leaned against the door, a small sigh came from her lip.

….that shameless man, once I got out I need to alert the school's teacher and the committee about him.

Kotegawa looked down at her feet. She thought that she was forgetting something or more precisely…someone.

…now that reminds me, Yuuki Rito is still searching for that stalker out there, isn't he?

The image of the orange hair boy flashed into her mind. Like a coincidence, the door she was leaning on flinched at the same time as if someone tried to unlock it.

It began to open. Kotegawa took back a step to see the person.

It was a familiar face.

When the door stopped moving, both Kotegawa and the person who opened it stared at each other in surprised.

"You're…Kotegawa?"

"Yuuki Rito?"

* * *

 **Author's note: Surprise! Kotegawa has finally made an appearance. With her presence, the story has become more interesting, hasn't it?  
**

 **Let me know your thought about it, review is always appreciated.**

 **I will have an exam next week so the next chapter could be updated a little bit late, hope you guys don't mind.**

 **Well, see you in the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17: Rumor-Dilemma

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17** **: ~Rumor_Dilemma~**

"Yu-Yuuki Rito, what are you doing here?"

"I….I'm searching for that stalker in this area."-Rito stuttered by the sudden question."I heard a sound coming from here so I came to check."

"I see."

….so he was around here.

"But what happened?"

"Huh?"-The girl blinked at him, didn't get the meaning of his word.

"When I opened this door, it was locked. Why are you in this locked room, Kotegawa?"

"Well….."

Kotegawa averted her eyes away from the orange hair boy and glanced at the sideway. Now that he asks her about it, the girl begins to feel nervous. She found the man and even confronted him but it didn't turn out like the way she thought. He got away and her being locked in the equipment room was the outcome of that. In other word, facing that lack of commonsense man was a bad experience to Kotegawa.

"I discovered the stalker in this storage so I…."-her voice trailed off.

"….?"

…wait, talk about common sense.

The girl's eyes darted back to Rito and frowned. The memories of that confrontation with the stalker almost made her forgot about what he had done to her earlier. Back then, that boy has ran off without a word while she was talking to him. Kotegawa still felt somewhat angry at him about it.

"Wait a minute, why do I have to tell you about what happened to me! You still own me an apology, Yuuki Rito!"-she pointed a finger at him and spoke with a stern voice.

"Huh?"

"You went off in the middle of our conversation and that was really rude, you know? Such lack of common sense."

"I….I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It just…..seeing those pictures in the camera, I realized I should catch him as soon as possible."

"And you ran off just because of that?"

Rito gave out a wry smile at the question. Taking it as a respond, Kotegawa sighed. This boy is really strange.

"Listen, you don't need to worry about this. From now on, the moral committee will handle the problem."

"But…..even if you say that-"-Rito tried to say some words but was quickly interrupted by the girl.

"But as for you, Yuuki Rito. We need to talk about the trouble that you and Satalin-san are causing in this school."

Rito took a step back as he was stunned by the word and the seriousness in her voice. Although he didn't know what kind of trouble Kotegawa was talking about, he could already guess of a few things that used to create a lot of ruckus before and after Lala transferred into Sainan high school. But he never thought a disciplinary committee member would talk to him about this, the trouble that both him and Lala were causing unintentionally must have been big.

The boy quietly gulped in nervous.

"Are you aware of a rumor about Satalin-san being your bribe?"

His eyes slightly twitched. Yup, it was that rumor again. It sure spread like wildfire.

"People are making a lot of uproar because of it, the disciplinary committee had had a difficult time to deal with the commotion."-Kotagawa crossed her arms, staring straight into the boy's eyes."I heard Lala was the one spread the rumor around our school, am I correct?"

"…..well, Lala did say that when she visited our school for the first time. But it w-"

"Do you have any idea the school order was nearly on edge because of it? You and Satalin-san should keep your private affair to yourself, not showing it in public."-Kotegawa cut off his word."School work and study are important so don't distract others with your relationship."

"S-sorry."

Kotegawa stopped for a moment as he apologized. She knew she was being strict to him, however, she wasn't finished yet since she didn't intend to forgive such lack of common sense of his and the transfer student.

"Anyway, I need you to stop throwing the moral environment of Sainan high school out of order and I will only say this once."

"…okay…"-Rito looked down."I'm sorry for causing so much troubles for you and the committee."

"I'm not talking only about that rumor."

The boy raised his head and looked at her with widen eyes, wondering what else did she had to say. Ignoring the look on his face, Kotegawa continued her speech by pointing at his uniform or rather at the long sleeve t-shirt he was wearing inside his white button shirt to be precise.

"You are not allowed to wear that, it violates the school's rule. Boy's summer uniform should consist of a trouser and a short sleeve button shirt only."

Rito instinctively grabbed his right arm while took another step back.

"But I have a reason for this."

"And what is it?"

Instead of answering to the question, Rito just stayed silent and briefly glanced at his right hand. Kotegawa stared at him, frowning as her patience soon ran out.

"Yuuki Rito, I don't know what your reason is but the rule is the rule and I need you to follow it. Tomorrow I will come to check your uniform again so be sure to wear it right."

"I can't do that."

"What?"-her eyes widened a little at his respond.

"I've already been gave the permission to wear like this from one of our teachers."

"Permission?"-a surprised expression spread all over Kotegawa's face."Who?"

"The principal."

Kotegawa was shocked to hear that word. This is ridiculous, out of no one it was the headmaster of the school that gave the orange hair boy an okay sign to go against the school rule. The black hair girl composed herself and rethought about what he said. Maybe he just made it up to be off the hook.

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"Then tell me the reason why he allowed you to wear this."

"He knows the reason, I'm sorry I can't tell you about it."

Tick mark appeared on Kotegawa's head.

"So that means you are lying to me?"

"No, it's not that."-Rito waved both hands in a defensive manner."It's just….."

The boy let out a small sigh and looked straight into Kotegawa's eyes. Slowly raised the right hand wrapped in bandage up to show her, so slow that Kotegawa could see a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"I can't say it because….it's a sensitive topic to me."

Kotegawa was slightly surprised when she saw his hand. As she leaned closer to examine it she could see the small trembling in his fingers.

…..is he nervous?

"What happened to your hand? Are you injured or something?"

"No…not actually…"-he rolled his sleeve up, revealed the entire arm which was also in the same state as his hand."I just don't want to attract unnecessary attentions with this arm."

Kotegawa glanced over his face as she noticed the softness in his voice. There was something that he didn't want to tell her but he didn't seem like the type to lie to people either. Looking at the arm, Kotegawa felt her curiousness was urging her to ask him what behind those bandage but quickly discarded that line of thought. If this was a sensitive issue of his then she would leave it at that, except the lack of common sense he was having though.

"Alright, if you say it like that then I won't push this matter any further. But that doesn't mean I will forgive your lack of common sense."

Rito lowered his hand, seemed to be less tensed. He scratched his cheek with a finger and smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, Kotegawa. By the way, do you know where that stalker went to?"

"I heard him saying that he would wait for the girls at the swimming pool, probably planning to peek them."-Kotegawa said with disgusted lingered in her stern voice, then she paused as she just realized something."Wait, why are you asking me this?"

"I need to stop him."

"No, you don't need to get involved any further in it. Like I said before, the moral committee will handle this problem. For now, Yuuki Rito, I want you to go back and tell Satalin-san to stop doing whatever things that could bring trouble to the school."

Despite what the girl said, the orange hair boy still won't move an inch. He just stood there and looked down at the ground which made Kotegawa stared at him in confused.

"Kotegawa, about the trouble that Lala and I are causing. The rumor that you heard, it was false."

"What?"

"You might not believe me but that was just a false rumor. At that time, Lala said it due to her family issue. She really didn't mean to make a ruckus so…."-Rito closed his eyes, straightened his back and bowed his head down."Either way, we really sorry for the troubles we brought to you."

His action brought astonishment to Kotegawa. Such straightforward attitude has given her a different impression of him and for some reason, Kotegawa felt warm on her cheeks.

"N-no, stop it! You've been apologized me several times now."

He lifted his head up and he wasn't finish yet.

"Lala just started a new life here and is making friend with everyone in this school. That's why I can't let that stalker get away. He sneakily took the picture of Lala and some of my classmates. I don't know what he is going to do with all the pictures he took but I'm not going to sit back even if this problem is entirely belonged to you and the disciplinary committee. If he has bad intentions with those photos, I have to stop him."-Rito looked straight into Kotegawa's brown eyes and declared with an emotion that completely overwhelming her strict personality."I won't let him put the pride of my friends at stake."

For a short moment, the girl's heart rate increased a little, knowing how much he worried about the others. Unknown to her, there was another meaning behind his word. After seeing those pictures of Lala and other girls from the camera, Rito began to worry as he didn't know if that stalker was another candidate who came here to seek for Lala or not. Not wanting a dangerous situation like Ghi Bree to happen again, he decided to chase after him to uncover the man real identity.

"F-fine, I guess I'll let you co-operate with me."-she glanced sideway, muttering in a small voice."…and thank you."

"...you welcome."

Kotegawa gave out a sudden jolted in surprised, blushing as she never expected that the boy could hear the last part.

"D-don't get the wrong idea! I'll only let you help me to find that stalker this one time since you got me out of the locked room. T-think of it as my gratitude to repay you!"

"…..o-okay…."-Rito sweat dropped.

Kotegawa turned away with a "hmph" and went off to the swimming pool, where the stalker would do whatever he was scheming.

Rito followed right behind her, they both moved in a fast pace.

While walking, Kotegawa shook her head weakly to make the blush go away but it didn't seem to work.

….why am I keep blushing?! Focus on your duty, Kotegawa!

Rito was focusing on one thing in his mind. They had to hurry or Lala and others will be in danger.

…

Meanwhile, in the girl's changing room, a really interesting conversation was taking place.

"Wow~, you has a really nice body, Lala-chii!"-Risa complimented while casually touched the alien girl's bosom."It's so soft."

"Let me see! Let me see!"-Mio jumped in and put her hands around Lala's waist."Such perfect curve!"

"Risa, Mio. That tickles."

Yup, interesting all right.

Haruna glanced at them and at herself. She placed a hand on her chest, feeling a little envy with Lala.

…I wonder if….Yuuki-kun…..

Realized what she just thought, Haruna blushed and shook her head.

"Oh~, your face looks red, Haruna. What are you thinking?"-Risa approached her.

"Eh! N-no…nothing!"

"Tell us, Haruna or be prepared for another skinship."-Mio grinned.

The lively atmosphere went on in the room. However no one was noticing that outside the pool, a man wearing hoodie and sunglass had just come out from the water. He climbed on the fence and quickly got away from the area.

As everything was in place, a smirk was formed on his face.

…..kuku, now I can take Lala's pictures at every angle.

…

"He's not here? Where did he go?!"

Kotegawa and the boy were looking at the pool through the fence. They had just arrived here shortly but the stalker was nowhere to be seen. They were too late.

…What to do now? Should I inform the teacher about this and stop the lesson?

While Kotegawa was still thinking about which decision she should make to prevent the upcoming trouble for the girls in swimming class, Rito had already went inside the pool and checked every corner to see if he could find any hidden camera in there. Seeing him looking around in front of her eyes, Kotegawa was stunned by his act and hastily went in.

"Wait, Yuuki-kun! You can't come in here yet! This is a swimming class for female student!"-Kotegawa grabbed his shirt."You'll be in big trouble with the school if they find you out here!"

She was right. If someone sees a male student lurking around near the pool where a swimming class for girl is going to take place, he will be treated as a pervert. But Rito knew he couldn't be hesitated because of it. If that stalker was indeed a candidate then Lala and the other would be in serious danger, who knew what kind of teleportation device or something similar had been set up in this place by him. He needed to prevent the upcoming trouble from happening, whatever is was.

"But we don't have any more time, we have to find any hidden camera or something belongs to that stalker from around here as soon as possible."

"Are you even sure he set up cameras in here?"

"You told me that he is planning to peek them, then he must has placed one in this place."

Rito looked around the place once more time but couldn't found anything suspicious. He stepped close to the edge of the large pool and scanned its bottom. Surprisingly, a mysterious glittering light came to his vision from one of the corners inside the pool.

"Kotegawa, I found it!"

"Huh? Where?"

"It's underwater."-Rito pointed at it so she could see the brief beaming light.

Kotegawa turned her head to look back at Rito and found the orange hair boy was taking a quick glance at the bandage wrapped around his right arm, frowning. With a small sigh escaped from his mouth, the boy backed away a few step still eyeing the light. Kotegawa gasped in shocked as she started to realize what he was doing.

"You're going to jump into the water? What about your arm?! Those bandage will-"

"I'll take the risk!"-Rito cut off her word as he dived into the water.

While Rito swam to where the thin light was glittering to check it, Kotegawa quickly ran ahead to the corner of the pool and waited. Under the water, Rito discovered the light came from a camera hidden inside a blue box, which had the same matched color with the pool. A hole was made on it so the camera could see through. The box must had been used as a camouflage so no one could notice it.

Rito looked around once more to make another quick scan, what he discovered from this time was not good at all.

There was never only one camera underwater.

Swimming up to the surface, Rito met Kotegawa's worried expression as she was gazing at him the moment she saw him went up.

"Kotegawa, look, a waterproof camera was hidden right here."-Rito raised the camera and the box up from the water and showed it to her."This one was used to cover it."

"Oh, t-thank you."She took it and examined it carefully."So that stalker was using this to sneak shot the student, so shameless."

"Yeah, I think so too. It's just an ordinary camera."-Rito let out a small sigh in relief and it didn't go unnoticed the black hair girl.

"What's the matter?"

"Heh! N-nothing. Anyway, that's not the only thing I found."

"What?!"

"There are four more cameras inside the pool. Three at each corner and one in that small gap over there."-Rito turned around, ready to go for another dive."I'll go get them."

"Yuuki-kun, what about your arm?"

"Don't worry, Kotegawa, it still fine."

Rito immediately increased his pace to gather the remaining hidden cameras. Even though he said that, there was not much time left. He had to be quick before the students come and before the bandage on his hand tears apart for being soaked too long in the water.

After a short moment, Rito managed to collect most of it and only one hidden camera left. He swam up to the rail where Kotegawa was standing. Seeing the boy came back, Kotegawa fixed her skirt and crouched down to help him.

Unexpectedly, her hand stumbled on a small pond, making her fell toward him in the progress.

"Kotegawa!"

Rito caught her but failed to keep her out from the water as they both sunk. Lucky for them, the spot where they were wasn't so deep.

"Kotegawa, are you alright?"-Rito asked in a concerned voice when he reached the surface.

"N-no, don't let go. I can't swim well."

Kotegawa replied with a slightly shaken voice. She was holding Rito around the neck, unaware of her body pressing against him which made him flustered.

"C-calm down, this spot is shallow so you won't drown."

"Heh?"

True to what he just said, Kotegawa could feel the tip of her feet touching the bottom.

….he's right, this spot is not really deep.

Kotegawa shifted her eyes back to Rito. Immediately, crimson color filled all over her face as it finally came to her that she noticed both her arms were around his neck. Her uniform had gone wet which clung to her body, making her curves become more clearly visible to the eyes. Their faces were so close that making her heart raced.

"W-w-what are you doing?!"-Kotegawa pushed him away in embarrassment."So shameless!"

"I-I'm sorry! I was just trying to catch you!"

Kotegawa was about to retort back didn't give her a chance to as a sound of an opened door echoed in the air. What happened next has nearly made both her and the orange hair boy's hearts nearly jumped out of their chests.

Lala, Sairenji and the other girls in his class has already here along with their instructor, Sasuga-sensei.

...Oh no! They're here!

Rito and Kotegawa quickly hid in a corner to avoid from being seen. Kotegawa was really paled at this point. If they were being seen in this situation, no doubt that a lot of people would misunderstand.

"Listen up everyone, since this is the first swimming class of the season."-came the voice of the teacher."I think we'll just have some free time today."

"Yay~! Sasuga-sensei is so generous!"

"Then let's do some warm up exercises first. Sairenji-kun, please come forward and be the example."

"Yes."

While the students were spending some time to do the warm up, Rito and Kotegawa had to try their best not to make any sudden movement. Rito quietly looked around as he noticed all the cameras were still lying somewhere near their feet due to the fall back then.

He dove back underwater, gathered and stuffed it into a corner near there.

….hm? There's one missing.

He turned his head to scan the bottom again. Eventually, he found the last camera was somehow lying near the center of the pool. Using the time when everyone was still doing the warm up exercises, Rito swam to it.

Suddenly, a cheerful voice came from above his head and a figure jumped into the water right where the camera was.

"Alright~, let's go swimming!"-Lala spoke in excitement.

In panic, Rito immediately covered his mouth to hold his breath in as the alien girl's tail almost swung right at him. He swam back to the corner and saw Kotegawa also sat there while holding her breath.

The girls began to went into the pool which caused Rito to turned away to avoid peeking at them.

Slowly, the place became more crowded.

There was no way for them to get out.

Kotegawa trembled as she was about to lose breath.

The bandage on Rito's right arm began to tear.

The camera lying near the center, threaten to be discovered.

And the sight of the girls moving around in swim suit made it more difficult for him to think straight.

The worst kind of predicament has come.

Now, what should they do to escape from this dilemma?

* * *

 **Author's note: This chapter took me a while but I'm back! There's nothing much for me to say right now(actually, I don't know what else should I express in this note. So exhausted...so sleepy...).  
**

 **Anyway, I hope you like the Rito/Yui moments.**

 **See you in the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18: Underwater-Scar

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18** **: ~Underwater_Scar~**

Two teenagers stood beside a vending machine, drinking the tasty soft drink hold in their hands while they enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the place. Ito sip a decent amount of the chocolate can and stared at the small words in the novel he was reading. Saruyama finished his drink in one gulp and threw it into the recycling bin near there, feeling bored as the two were waiting for the orange hair boy's return.

"Rito hasn't come back yet, what's taking him so long?"-Saruyama spoke before letting out a yawn.

….and out of all the day, today is so hot.

He wiped away the sweats that continuously dripping down his face. Lunch break has started an hour ago and here he was, endured the kind of heat that could easily burn off a ton of calories in his body. With Lala and the other girls had gone to the swimming pool, all the boys in his class got back to their usual activities such as chatting or playing games, etc. Saruyama could have join in, but since he forgot to bring one along with an idol magazine that he just added to his "collection" yesterday, he decided to stick around with Ito.

"Now I feel regret, I should have brought that magazine with me."-Saruyama's half-opened eyes wondered around his feet.

Even now standing inside a shade, he could feel all the heats were getting to him. It was so hot that he really wanted to jump into a pool.

Oh! Speak of the pool…

"I want to see Lala-chan in swimsuit."

Ito sweat dropped as he heard that mumbling of his friend.

"Even in this kind of heat, you're still able to have that kind of thought, huh."

"Yup, that's one of my specialty."-he replied and gave Ito a thumb up."By the way, where did you get that straw?"

Saruyama pointed at the straw that Ito was using to sip his favorite soft drink.

"Gin gave this to me yesterday after he won a bag full of it from a lottery draw at his district. He said he doesn't need it so I took half of the bag and shared it with Rito and Mikan."-the brown hair boy turned his head to him."You want some?"

"No, I'll pass. But which prize did Taka won to have it?"

"Last prize."

Saruyama burst out laughing at the word and Ito couldn't help but snickered a little as he recalled the face that the silvery-blue hair boy was making after he gave the prize to him. It was still deadpan all over but mixed with a hint of annoyance and regret. That guy probably used up half of his wallet to win the first prize but didn't success at the end.

"Did he tell you anything about the first prize?"-Saruyama said, wiping the tear from the corner of his eyes.

"I heard him mumbling about some ice cream making machine. That guy loves sweet so he must have tried to win it."

"That's just like him."

While the two was talking about Gin. Somewhere in the school, the boy in their topic suddenly woke up from his lazy nap with a tick mark on his head.

…..why do I feel like someone is making fun of me?

Ito and Saruyama went back to class. Ito took out another straw from his pocket to show Saruyama while the two was on their way.

"Well, that's how I got these straw for free. I also gave one to Rito to drink but I guess he doesn't have a chance to use it after all."

"Right, he's busy chasing someone right now."-a thought came to Saruyama as he turned to Ito."Hey, don't you think Rito is taking this too long? It's been nearly an hour."

"Well, if you're worried, we could go search for my brother and the person he was chasing."

"Then let's-"

"But….."-Ito interrupted Saruyama and pointed his thumb at the intense heat outside the corridor."Are you sure you want to run around the school in this kind of weather? You'll have a heat stroke if you're not careful."

Saruyama pulled a wry face and shook his head. Ito got a point, he really didn't want to stand in the sunlight, especially around this time of summer season. Letting your skin feels the intense heat that that big fire ball is emitting from up there is not something should be recommended nor doing. It wouldn't be good if you have a heat stroke.

…...if I get sick and have to stay at home, I won't be able to see Lala-chan.-was what he's thinking.

"You're right, if would be a big problem for me if something like that happens."-he sighed and scratched the back of his head."I'm still worried about Rito though."

"Come on, have more faith in my brother, will you? He's a member of the Yorozuya so he's capable of dealing with many issues by himself."

"Alright, alright. I will."

Ito gave Saruyama a satisfied nod with that respond and went back to his book. The two kept walking through the hallway where the hot air was floating around. Saruyama grumbled as sweats rapidly dropped down from the tip of his black hair. If there was an ice bucket in front of him, he would dip his head into it immediately. Even Ito had to fan himself with the other hand by grabbing the front of his shirt and waved it non-stop. It was in the afternoon and only a few small clouds flew on the sky so they had no choice but endure it. People in Sainan town also felt the same. In the summer, the temperature could be this extreme sometime so there was no point in complaining about it.

Saruyama and the brown hair boy stopped in their track as several joyful and happy voices came to their ears. Both boys recognized most of it and their eyes darted to the source. Inside the pool lying on top a small building next to them, the girls in their class were enjoying a moment of their school life. Saruyama gasped as he could hear the sound of water splashing everywhere and the smiles, the chatting…..and the sight of girls in swimsuit.

Up there, on top that building was a forbidden garden that every boy in the world dreamed of.

"Wow, I wish I could be up there to watch the full view of the scenery."-Saruyama spoke with a thin smile on his face.

It was a pity that he and other boys in his class couldn't join in this swimming class with the pretty alien girl.

Ito looked away from his friend with a big sweat drop mark appeared on his head. Even in this heat, Saruyama perverted nature didn't sway a bit. That specialty of him was quite impressive.

Finally stop themselves from being distracted by the noise, the two eventually continued their way back to the classroom.

"Pool Rito, he sure has missed a big chance to see Haruna-chan in swimsuit. But then again, I bet he doesn't have enough guts to do something like that"-Saruyama smirked, putting both hands behind the back of his head."He would probably fluster madly if that ever occurs."

Saruyama knew too well that the orange hair boy was the kind of person that often act timid when being around girls. He even hardly held a smooth conversation with them.

Something like the "forbidden garden" would be too much for him to handle. His sanity would not last for long.

Saruyama had no idea how wrong he was.

As for right now….

Rito was in that so called "forbidden garden" that he and every other boys dreamed of.

…..

Currently, the orange hair boy was trying his best to stay near the bottom of the pool as long as he could. His eyes fixed on a solid object which lied near the center of the pool, the waterproof camera. With the bandage wrapped around his right hand began to tear, he pulled his sleeve down to cover the rest of his hand and went back to focus on the biggest trouble at hand. The boy intent to move in and took the camera, but so far there has been no chance for him. With the female students standing and swimming around the place, it was really difficult to get close.

Every time a girl's foot waved near that camera, his heart nearly skipped a beat and so did the girl who was sitting in the corner behind him.

Kotegawa was breathing some air through the straw Rito gave her earlier, if was a fortunate that Rito got it from his brother before the first period started. However, she didn't feel any relief at all despite her lung was no longer short of breath. The situation they were in was still nowhere near good.

Since there was only one straw, the two had to use it in turn. Before giving it to Kotegawa, the boy had used it to get a deep breath first. But now the black hair girl was worried as several minutes has passed and Rito hasn't come back to take his turn to use it yet.

….hm? Wait…am I forgetting something?

Kotegawa wondered as there was something really important that she felt like missing at this point. Then, her eyes darted back to Rito who was still trying to approach the camera.

…..something…..

A thought struck her when she looked at back at the straw in her mouth and a crimson color slowly appeared all over her face. Rito had used this straw before he gave it to her, without paying attention she put the tip to her mouth.

Which mean…..

…is-isn't this a-a-an indirect kiss?! No no no! Why am I only realize it just now?! Shameless! So shameless!

Realizing what she just did, her embarrassment increased greatly caused her to gasp in reflex, almost letting out all the air. Kotegawa clumsily covered her mouth in fluster. Calming herself down, she took a quick glance to Rito, feeling a little bit upset.

….what am I even doing with my life. That stalker and Yuuki Rito, this is all their fault!

It was such a big mistake for her, Kotegawa felt regret thinking that she should have headed straight to the teacher's office and tell her sensei in the first place instead of doing something so risky like this.

Just when this dilemma will end, she wondered…

Kotegawa gazed at the camera lying in the middle of the pool and her eyes slowly widened in shocked.

Somehow, the camera just mysteriously moved a few inches by itself in an instance.

Kotegawa rubbed both eyes and looked at it again. Thinking that maybe it was stress that caused her eyes to give out and seeing weird thing or because she had stayed underwater for too long.

…it…it's not moving.

The camera stood still in her vision.

….strange, did I just imagine it?

…

"Hi hi~, it feels so good to be in the pool!"

"It is, it's been so hot lately."

Lala and Haruna was enjoying the cool feeling they got from staying in the water. In excitement, Lala gently waved her hands around to make the water splashing everywhere. Seeing the alien girl was acting cutely like a child first went to a swimming pool, Risa and Mio joined in and splash her back. Sairenji giggled at the sight and watched them played around instead of participating in the fun. She stood near an edge of the pool and lower her body until the water reached her neck as she preferred to enjoy the coolness in it a little bit more.

"Hey, Haruna~."-the alien girl called her in a cheerful voice.

"What it is, Lala-san?"

"The pool is so fun, but don't you think it would be more fun if there were waves?"

"Waves?"-Haruna blinked at her."Yeah, I like those kinds of pools, too."

"I agree with Haruna, it would be awesome if we have some waves in the pool."-Risa chimed in.

Hearing that, Lala placed a finger on her lip as if she was thinking of some ideas.

"Oh, that's it~."

"Lala-san, where are you going?"-Sairenji asked her as she suddenly turned and walked out of the pool.

"I forgot something in the dressing room~."

Then she ran off, leaving Sairenji, Risa and Mio in pondered. After going through the door that lead her back to the said location, Lala opened her locker and took a pink device from the pocket on her skirt, the D-Dial.

"Lala-sama, what are you doing with the D-Dial?"-Peke asked his master as he had no idea what she was up to.

"I'm going to create a lot of wave in the school swimming pool, of course ~."

…..

Kotegawa started to feel even more nervous than before since some of the girls in the orange hair boy class were playing near her spot. They were close, so close to the point that the long black hair girl was afraid to make any movement and have to put away the straw. If one of them was to stick their head into the water, they would notice her immediately.

…what should I do?!

Kotegawa closed her eyes tightly, both hands covered her mouth to hold the breath in. Anxiety soon surrounded her.

If she was found out by the students, what would they think of her?

What would the committee members think of her?

Kotegawa could feel her body was trembling slightly as these line of thoughts continued to flash through her mind. If this kept up any longer, she would have no choice but to...

…...should I…..give up….?

It was better than letting this circumstance affect her morality. She could tell them the truth that she was here to find the stalker.

At the very least she hoped they would understand…

…but what will happen to Yuuki Rito….?

As Kotegawa was lost in thought, thinking about the outcome that would happen to the orange hair boy if she was willing to reveal herself. A sudden light tap on the arm brought her back to reality.

Kotegawa slowly opened her eyelids to see the person and she was astonished. Rito was looking at her with a camera holding in his left hand. The orange hair boy had successfully recovered the camera back without being discovered. Kotegawa also glanced at her side, the group of girls from earlier had moved away to a different spot. She turned back to Rito, her eyes focused on the camera in his hand. At this point, there were a lot of question in her mind.

….the camera….when did he?….how?

How did he manage to take the stuff from where the students were surrounding it? With no way to think of a suitable explanation, Kotegawa began to get confused. This boy just kept making her surprised from time to time, a person with full of mystery.

Rito put the last camera in the corner and sat next to Kotegawa, they both felt a somewhat relieved now that the most dangerous threat has been overcome. Kotegawa quickly used the straw again to take another deep breath, as she did so she glanced at Rito. His face was slightly paled as if he was holding his breath in for too long and hadn't let it all out.

The boy turned his head to look at Kotegawa with both eyes were strangely widened like something bad was about to happen. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. The straw felt out and floated away as she gasped, stunning by the sudden act of Rito. Before Kotegawa could even react, a loud voice spoke from above their head.

"Everyone, get out of the pool! Quick!"-Sasuga said out loud as he stood near the edge.

Immediately, she could heard the water splashing rapidly when all the students got out the pool in a hurry. One of them nearly trampled on her feet, it was lucky that Rito had pulled her away before it happens.

Then the water began to flow. Like a current, it hit their skins with small force. It became stronger and stronger like a whirl. Eventually, those cameras that the boy hid in the corner floated out and got sucked into the center of the pool.

Rito and Kotegawa struggled as they was swirled away. However, Rito didn't miss a chance to look at the source of this whirlpool.

In the eye of this maelstrom was a turtle shaped machine with a Deviluke emblem on its back.

….is that…..Lala's…?

"Hm, that's weird. It worked when I used it in the palace bathroom before."

Lala spoke to herself as she stood near the edge. Her green emerald eyes looked down at the giant whirlpool forming before her.

"I wonder if something's wrong with Splish Splash Wave-kun."

"What is going on?!"-Kotegawa screamed, no longer able to keep up with the situation.

As the wave pulled her and Rito in, it started to form a waterspout. Like a sudden outburst, it sent them flying in the air. Everyone who watched the sight all gasped in awe as the waterspout rose up like a tornado. Lala just stared at it with slight disappointment.

…

On top a building near there, the stalker was chuckling over the plan in which he had spent lots of effort. Before him was the members of the baseball club and some male students from different class. They all smiled brightly at the work of their "senpai".

"I'm so looking forward to Lala's secret picture of yours, Motemitsu-senpai!"

"That's Motemitsu-senpai for you, he's so brave for setting up the cameras in the pool!"

"Idiots. It's all about under water these days."-Motemitsu spoke in a cool tone."If you want, I can sell to you those pictures of Lala and other girls that I took this morning, too. And of course, you can even buy a set of panty shot I have collected so far, with ten thousand-"

"Get out of the way!"

While no one was aware, a voice echoed from the sky. Rito, who was holding Kotegawa, came flying right at the rooftop where Motemitsu was standing. They both landed right on top of Motemitsu the stalker before he could even turn to look. As the result, the other boys ran away to avoid the crash while the ace of the baseball club was knocked out in an instance and unconsciously laid on the floor.

Kotegawa sat up, rubbing her head to ease the aching. She jolted slightly as she realized the orange hair boy was underneath her.

"W-w-what are you doing?!"-she jumped up with a tinge of red on her cheeks but it quickly faded away as she noticed the stalker was lying below him."Is that….Motemitsu-senpai?"

Kotegawa quickly recognized him as one of the upperclassmen.

…so he is the stalker.

Rito slowly sat up and laid next to him, seeming out of breath as he inhaled deeply. A relieved smile formed on his face after taking a look at the face of the owner of those cameras.

…that was close…..

He turned his head to Kotegawa in concern for her well-being. But before he could utter a word, he saw her looking at him in pure shocked.

"Kotegawa?"

"Yu-Yuuki-kun…."

With a slight shaken voice, she pointed a finger at him…

At his forehead…..

"Your forehead…what happened?"

It was a deep scar….

As his bangs didn't cover his forehead, the scar was revealed. It covered nearly most of his forehead. From the look of it, the scar seemed to be made of from a brutal slash and didn't get any treatment.

Oddly enough, Kotegawa felt somewhat a little bit frighten when she looked at it. That scar on Rito's forehead didn't show any feature that implied it had gone through the healing process. The tissues were still there, very clearly for the eyes to see.

It was almost like an unhealed wound.

Knowing what Kotegawa was pointing at, Rito immediately stood up and let down his bangs so the scar won't be seen again.

"…I….."-Rito awkwardly rubbed his head as he tried to find the right word."I got this from an accident. It's alright Kotegawa, you don't have to pay any attention to it. If you could, please don't tell this to anyone."

"But-"

"Well, I'll be going then."-he quickly interrupted her.

Rito turned away from her and hastily ran down the stairs, leaving Kotegawa and the unconscious Motemitsu behind.

Now the black hair girl just wondered.

Did she just see something that she shouldn't have?

…

Kotegawa walked home after school ended. The girl was deep in thought as a lot of strange stuff had happened today. She opened the door to her house and was greeted by her older brother who had just got back from his lovely date.

"Oh, Yui. Welcome home."

"I-I'm home."

"Hm? What's the matter? You look dazed."

"No…I'm fine."

Yuu stared at her for a moment.

"If you say so."

Without further talk, Yui headed upstairs and went to her room. She lied down on the comfortable bed that was decorated with pink color. Staring at the ceiling, Yui placed a hand to her forehead letting all the events that happened today sunk in.

In the end, Motemitsu was handed to the teacher by the committee member, once the school knew about him being a sneak-shot maniac, he was suspended from school for two weeks. The problem has been solved.

Then came the image of that orange hair boy in Yui's mind. They only met for the first time today and she has already had a strong impression about him. He found her in that locked room and even helped her to catch the stalker.

Yuuki Rito didn't seem like someone who would disturb the school's order. He was an honest person and a mystery. A hint of red slowly showed on Kotegawa's cheeks as she recalled the moment at the pool.

The moment he caught her when she fell down the water and that indirect kiss.

…..wait! What was I thinking?! So shameless!

Kotegawa pulled the blanket and covered herself entirely, embarrassed by what she just experienced today.

This was the first time of her.

The first time that Kotegawa Yui blushed because of a boy.

…..

…..

…

…..

…..

But that scar on his forehead…

What had happened to him…..?

 _ **ARC 5: Summer Stalker**_

 _ **End**_

* * *

 **Author's note: One mystery revealed, another mystery appeared.  
**

 **Throughout this arc, Kotegawa's perspective was focused on a lot while Rito was kept to a minimum, adding more mysterious aura around him. Now come to think of it, the story suppose to be a adventure/romance one but there has been a lot of mystery lately(my fault). So I wonder if I should change back the genre? Oh wait, we're off the topic,** **never mind that.**

 **Anyway, the 5th arc has finally ended with a big twist...again.  
**

 **Review the chapter if you please and thank for reading. I'll see you in the next arc.**


	19. Chapter 19: Sickness-Anxious

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.  
**

* * *

 _ **ARC 6: Ren/Run**_

 **Chapter 19** **: ~Sickness_Anxious~**

Sitting alone on a small roof next to his window, Rito gazed at the bright Milky Way spreading its light across the black sky. A scratching sound quietly echoed through the night as he was drawing the constellation within his vision. It was nearly midnight and the Sainan town has fallen asleep with only him remained awake.

With the cicadas around, adding the unique melody it sang to the night. It was only a few more weeks ahead before summer break came.

Rito laid down his pencil and decided to call it a night as he closed the notebook placing on his laps. Before going back to his room by climbing through the window, the orange haired boy took one last look at the shining moon. He raised his right hand up and reached to the white planet with opened palm like he wanted to grab its whole body despite it would be unlikely to happen.

Then, a sparkling star came to his view. As it took his interest, Rito's eyes averted from the moon to look at the star.

….a shooting star?

For some reasons, Rito got a feeling of déjà vu as the rapidly glittering star moved and seemed to become bigger while he stared at it.

He had seen this before. It was like the moment when he saw Lala's spaceship coming right at him and crashed.

Having the familiarity in his thought, Rito squinted his eyes a bit at the "star". He saw it now, what he witnessed was a spaceship entering the Earth's atmosphere.

The ship flew past the sky above Sainan and ended up disappearing in a forest near there. Rito stood still on the roof and watched the sight in wondering.

….a spaceship…another candidate?

Clueless and not sure what to think, Rito put back the notebook onto his bed and began to climb back into the room. The orange haired boy decided that it would be best to leave this unexpected event for tomorrow. At least for now, he hoped this wasn't something serious.

The boy flinched when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind the door. Sweat slowly dripped down his forehead since he knew too well whom those steps belonged to. The door knob turned and silently opened as a figure of a pink haired girl walked in, slightly stumbled on her steps like she was sleep-walking.

Rito ducked his head down to avoid looking at her, his face reddened at the sight. Since sleeping without clothes has been one of Lala's habits, there was no clothes on her body, she just casually come into the room and sleep on his bed, much to his nervousness.

With the girl finally sleep soundly on his bed, Rito had no choice but to once again spend the rest of the night in his brother's room.

….

"A spaceship flew past here last night?"-Mikan asked, surprised by the news.

"Yeah, it landed in the forest underneath the mountain. Since we're on the weekend, I was thinking of going there to check it."

Mikan tapped a finger to her cheek, thinking about what the orange haired boy just spoke. Rito was telling to about what he saw yesterday night. The two sat on a sofa in the living room, Ito was sitting near them and read a novel holding in his hand like usual. Lala was next to Rito, she heard the story from him but didn't get most of the part as her focus was shifted to a handheld console, the RPG game she has been playing in the past few days.

After a few second, Mikan gave out a small sigh and looked at her brother with concern.

"Rito, you've been staying up late a lot recently. Are you sure that wasn't your hallucination?"

Hearing that word, the alien girl turned her head to Rito in curious and a question mark appeared on Peke's head.

"Hallucination?"

"I'm sure, Mikan. It was real and I'm worry about it, we don't know if that was another arrival of one of Lala's candidates or not."-he stood up."That's why I need to go check it."

"Wait, you're going right now? If that ship you talk about really belongs to a candidate, shouldn't you be here to protect Lala-san from them."

"I'll be quick, Mikan."

"Rito…"-before the boy could take a step, Lala grabbed his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks."…what is this hallucination you two are talking about?"

In the next few seconds, the room was filled with silence. Rito turned his head a bit and briefly looked at the alien girl through his shoulder, Ito didn't say anything as he still read the book, although his eyes was averting from the page a few inches. As the silence atmosphere spread further in the house, Mikan looked back and forth between the alien princess and her orange haired brother. Since no one answered her question, this quietness was rather uncomfortable for the Yuuki brothers.

Only when the little sister spoke up, the all of a sudden silence atmosphere broke by her voice.

"Lala-san….that's…."-her voice trailed off as the girl tried to find the right word to explain.

Mikan was not so sure what to tell Lala about this topic, the hallucination Rito was having. Lala still hadn't know anything about Rito's condition so it was careless for her to bring this up so sudden.

"It's a form of sickness that I was having."-Rito calmly said which made Mikan's eyes widened slightly.

"Sickness? Rito, you were sick?"-Lala asked him with a hint of concern in her emerald green eyes.

"I was, but I haven't seen anything weird for a while now, so I'm perfectly fine Lala."

"…..I see~."-Lala smiled brightly, feeling relieved to hear that.

"Also, you don't have to think too much about this Mikan."-Rito spoke as he turned to the younger sister."I think it's okay to let Lala know. After all, I'm her guardian."

Mikan hesitantly nodded at him. The surprised expression on her face eased when he told her those words.

"Anyway, I'm going to the forest. Lala if something comes up, stay close to nii-san, alright?"

"Okay~, hurry back."-Lala gave him a cheerful waved, always in high spirit.

Rito stepped out of the room and put on his shoes. With a small creaking sound of the door opened, he left the house and ran to the direction where the ship was at last night.

Back in the living room, Lala stared at the hallway where Rito just left and she shifted her eyes to Mikan. The curiousness inside the alien girl hasn't died down yet, she wanted to know more about her guardian. Even the sickness he told her earlier that he once had was not an exception as it also worried her a bit.

Lala switched her seat and sat next to Mikan, closing the gap between the sister and herself.

"….ne Mikan, can you tell me more about Rito's sickness, the hallucination? I want to know about it."

"Oh, well…..Rito was-"

"About that, you should ask Rito directly by yourself, Lala."-Ito cut off Mikan words before she was going to say about the "sickness"."Mikan and I cannot answer that."

Both turned to the brown haired boy, wondering why he said that.

"Why? Rito said it's okay to let Lala-san know."

"Right now, all Lala needs to know is that Rito used to be "sicked". The rest of the detail could be filled in later by him, not by us."-Ito closed the book and straighten his posture, giving the girls a reason about why they shouldn't get into this topic at this point."Rito knows his condition better than anyone, so if you want to find out more about his hallucination, you should ask him."

"…if you say so."

"Then I guess I'll ask him when he comes back~."

"You should know that this is also a topic he refers to keep silence about it. Just don't force it out on him, Lala. When he ready to tell you about it, he will speak to you."

Lala nodded and made a mental note of Ito's advice in her head. The conversation stopped as Ito and Mikan went back to what they were doing, Lala picked up the handheld console and continued playing. While reading the manga, Mikan glanced briefly at Ito. She understood why Ito told Lala to talk directly to Rito if she wanted to know more about his hallucination.

The hallucination, or the so called "sickness" that Rito was having, was one of a few things that the orange haired boy decided to keep for himself instead of telling it to the people around him. If he was to share it with others, he would keep the story as minimal as he could.

And just like that scar on his forehead, this was one of the most sensitive topics to him.

A small sigh escaped from Mikan's lip.

But more importantly….

Her idiotic onii-chan still only saw himself as Lala's guardian, no more and no less.

….talk about a girl's feeling, Rito still have a long way to go.

…..

Rito ran across a bridge that connected both side of Sainan town. He kept going until he finally reached an intersection that showed him the way into the forest right at the foot of the mountain. Following the narrow path, the orange haired went deeper into the mountain. After walking for a couple of minutes, he found an opened field.

…..if I remember correctly, the ship should be around this area.

Rito began to search around the place, looking into every spots in his view. Besides from the grass, plants and trees, there was nothing abnormal at this place. In the end, he couldn't find anything that related to the spaceship he saw last night.

….strange, I saw it landed…..where could it be?

Rito tried to make a few more attempts to look around but the results were the same. There was no sign of spaceship on the mountain. Now, standing on the grass in completely clueless, the orange haired boy began to doubt himself.

His memory of a sparkling star that flew through Sainan town, the image of a round spaceship inside his head. Were it all just a hallucination?

….but it was real.

Rito rubbed the scar on his forehead while looked down on the grassy ground. He was sure that there was definitely a ship near here somewhere. Rito wasn't trying to reject the idea that he was having a hallucination at that night but he truly believed so…..

Because out of all the hallucinations he had seen so far, not even one of it has ever been "kind" to him. That alien ship was never a part of it.

Letting out a sigh, Rito leaned against a truck and slowly sat down. And here he was, looking at an empty field. Maybe the ship had departed from this place while he was sleeping.

Either way, Rito has never found the thing and decided to give up on it. Slightly disappointed, he walked away from the opened field and returned to the town. During the walk, his cell phone suddenly rang, Rito took it out and saw the name of his dad flashed on the screen.

….a message from dad.

[Rito, can you get me some materials and a few ink bottles? Your dad is in a little crisis here. And buy me a stack of papers too, my studio is almost running out of it.

I'm counting on you, son.]

…..bottles and papers. If I'm not wrong, there's a convenience store down this path. I can buy these stuff there.

With a destination already set in mind, Rito put away the phone and headed toward the location.

…

Afternoon came, the hot air began to increase as The Sun fully lit up the whole town. Rito walked out from the store with a plastic bag holding in his hand. He had the ink and the paper now, only the materials remained and the store selling it was on the other side of Sainan.

Which mean…..

….this is going to be a long walk.-Rito thought to himself.

Crossing the same bridge like before, the orange haired boy went past a few more blocks before he turned at a corner. Unexpectedly, as he turned, a girl was also there at the very same corner. As if in a hurry, the girl was also running with lots of bag hanging on both her arms, her eyes widened when she saw him suddenly coming out from the alley.

Rito immediately stopped on his track to avoid crashing into her. However, despite that, the two still bumped into each other as the girl wasn't able to react in time. While the girl fell backward, Rito managed to keep his balance altogether and caught some of the bags before it hit the solid ground.

She let out a faint groan as the impact came. All the stuff inside the other bags were scattered around them.

"It's hurt!"-she sat up, rubbing her head in an attempt to ease the pain and spoke in a soft tone."Watch where you going."

The girl frowned, appeared to be not in a good mood. Her hot pink eyes stared straight into Rito's golden one. Her long light green hair with two strings sticking out on top stuttered as she moved her head up to look at him. She has a slender body and a prominent curvy waist that almost equal to Lala. It wasn't too much to say that she was pretty, in fact she was undeniable cute. If Saruyama was here, he would describe her as a bishoujo, the type of girl that every boys like. But what made her stood out most right now was the boy clothes that she was wearing, completely unsuited for her girlish appearance.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't looking."

Rito hurriedly sat down on one knee and helped her putting back all the scattered things into the bag. Most of it were books and new clothes, Rito recognized some of the books as it has the same cover as the one he used to study at school. By the time he done, the light green haired girl still quietly picked up the stuff and dust it off. While she was doing it, he heard her mumbling something.

"That Ren, why did I have to go through all of this early in the morning?"

Rito turned to her and his eyes caught the uniforms she was holding. It has the design of Sainan high school, a white button shirt, a green skirt and a sleeve-less jumper.

This girl must have been a student at his school.

And from a quick glance, she was also holding a male uniform in the other hand. Not wanting to distract himself, Rito looked around one more to see if he missed anything else in the bag. While he was doing so, he was unaware of what the girl just found as lied inside the remaining scattered things was Rito's wallet.

…hm? What is this? I don't remember buying something like this.

She opened it to see what inside and saw the image of the orange haired boy on an ID card, next to it was a medal with the Earth's image and four big words that lied in the middle.

…Yuuki Rito…..Far East branches…..B…S.…A….A…what do these words mean again?

"Ah, that's my wallet!"

The girl jolted lightly at Rito's sudden loud voice which interrupted her own line of thought.

"It must have had fell out from my pocket earlier."-the boy extended his hand toward her and took it."T-thank you, I would be in big trouble if I lost it."

"….s-sure."

"Anyway, h-here are your bags."-Rito gave back her stuff, didn't forget to bow his head down in an apologetic manner."Sorry again for suddenly bumping into you."

Before the light green haired girl could say a word, the orange haired boy has already grabbed his plastic bag and rushed off. For a short moment, she saw a hint of anxiety on his face when he took back the wallet from her grasp.

….what's with him? Such a strange person.

Run Elsie Jewelria wondering to herself as she stared at the back of the running boy who soon disappeared from her sight.

…..….

After buying the manga materials and got by his dad's studio, Rito went home and he was greeted by Mikan the moment he came into the living room. Mikan turned to him, there was no "Welcome back" from her, and instead the little sister just gazed at him.

"So, have you found the spaceship yet?"-she went straight to the point.

Rito didn't respond, he sweat dropped as he looked away to avoid eyes contact.

"…..uh…..n..no, I couldn't find it. But I did saw it and I'm sure it wasn't my hallucination."

"Really?"

"Really, I know what it's like, I've seen it a lot. It'll never be something as simple as this to ….."

Mikan raised an eyebrow at the sudden cut off.

"…."

Mikan blinked at him, didn't understand why he stopped speaking any further. Still eyeing him, the girl sat up from the sofa as she felt worried.

"Rito, what's wrong? Why the sudden quiet?"

She just didn't know or didn't realize a small hint of nervous on his face.

Rito's lip trembled slightly as the memories from that time went back to his mind. He couldn't express what were in his thought….

Because if he said it, Mikan would probably find it hard to believe. It was very hard to describe what he was going to say after that word.

Knowing the atmosphere starting to become awkward between the two, Rito rubbed his cheek and shook it off with a sigh.

"Nevermind, I won't make any excuse for this. I couldn't find the ship so maybe you were right. I guess I'll need a rest."

"Ah~, Rito~, you're back."

Coming into the room, Lala called him with her usual cheerful personality. Before he could reply, the Devilukean girl hugged his arm. Unwarily pressing her chest against him which made him both blushed and paled.

"Rito, could you tell me about your "sickness"?"-that question wiped off the fluster on his face, Rito widened his eyes a little and looked at Lala."I want to know more about Rito."

There was no word from Rito in the next few seconds, only silence lingered around the entire room. Rito slowly turned his eyes to Mikan and to his right hand. Lala followed his gaze and she also noticed that he was glancing at the hand that wrapped in bandage.

"Oh right, I haven't seemed to remember to ask you about it. Rito, why is your hand always covered in that cloth?"

He flinched at another question. The orange haired boy opened his mouth to say something but eventually shut it.

"…ah…"

"….ah?"

"A ha ha ha….."-he let out an awkward chuckle."Sorry Lala, maybe another time."

"Rito?"

Rito gently pulled his arm away from Lala's hug and left the room, leaving the two girls in their own thought. As he walked toward the stairs, Ito who just came down waved a hand at him.

"Hey, you're back."

"I'm home, nii-san."

Without any more words, Rito went past Ito and headed up the stair. Seeing the expression on his brother's face, Ito turned back to look at him until he noticed Mikan and Lala walked out from the living to watch him. Their eyes was filled with worry.

"What happened?"-Ito asked the two.

"I asked Rito about his "sickness" but he didn't tell me anything, he only said sorry."

"Well, I did told you it was a sensitive topic to him."

"Rito, I wonder if he's okay."-Lala said, feeling somewhat cheerless at the moment.

"For now, just let him be. He needs some space to get a rest after all."-Ito assured her, trying to make the gloomy atmosphere go away from the alien girl.

"…..I see."

"By the way, about the game I think maybe you should start at…"

Rito closed the door to his room, no longer paid attention to the talk at downstairs. Sitting on his chair, he silently stretched out both arms and laid his head on top the desk. He rubbed his right hand and kept staring at it for a long moment.

Right now, he could only think of one thing about this complicated matter.

…I guess…..I'm still not fully open myself to this.

….

The next morning came, Rito looked out the window like he always did in break time at school. After that conversation with Lala and Mikan yesterday, the happy-lucky go alien girl still talked to him as usual and so did the younger sister. Her curiousness was still there, but it seemed to him that she was restraining herself from asking.

Saruyama was chatting with Lala, Risa and Mio and some other boys in class. Ito was reading a novel and stayed silent the whole time. As for Haruna…

"Yuuki-kun."

She came and stood before his desk. There was no particular reason actually, she just wanted to talk normally with him. However, no one was aware of a red spot on her cheek.

"What is it, Sairenji?"

"Have you heard about the news that there will be another transfer student in our class?"

"…n-no, I haven't heard of it. We have a new classmate?"

"Uhm, Honekawa-sensei told me earlier in the office-"

The ringing sound of school bell echoed through the hallway, cut short Haruna's words. As the student hurried back to their seat, their homeroom teacher walked in and fixed his glasses, speaking in slight trembled voice.

"Everyone, this is a bit sudden, but today we have a new transfer student."

Whisper and comment broke among the students.

"A transfer student?"-Risa spoke, surprised by the news.

"It's rare to have another one since Lala-chii just transferred here not long ago."

"Is it a girl? I want it to be a girl!"-Saruyama and other boys said out loud in excitement.

Rito and Ito could only sweat dropped at their words.

The door opened and the student stepped in. Everyone in the class was completely attracted to their new classmate, especially the girl. The student stood next to the elderly teacher with a friendly smile on his face.

With a hand ran across his attractive white hair, he spoke in a cool tone.

"Please to meet you."

"Kyyyaaaa! He's so handsome!"

"A Bishounen~!"

Seeing the girls were head over heel for the new student, the boys were not amused.

"This is Ren Elsie Jewelria. Everyone, be nice to him."

Ren's hot pink eyes shifted as he looked around the classroom. Two string were seen waving lightly on the top of his hair, which had two different color, white at the front and black at the bottom part. At first glance, he was without a doubt, a bishounen with the look that every girls took a liking to.

While Ren was looking around the room, his gaze stopped at Lala and he smiled.

In an instance, Ren stood before Lala desk and held her hand up, dreamily staring into her emerald green eyes.

"I have finally found you, Lala-chan…..no…..my bride."

The whole class was in shocked and their mouths agape at that statement. Saruyama's jaw dropped and the sibling's eyes went wide.

It was so sudden that no one could have imagined.

With this unexpected turn of event, a new storm has risen within Sainan high school.

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, that was expected but soon it will be the opposite.  
**

 **Anyway, sorry for the late update again. I was having a lot of assignment lately so I didn't have much time to stick around with the story.**

 **And here we are, Run and Ren have finally made an appearance. In this chapter, I bring back the very first hint about Rito's past that way back in the very first chapter of this fic. I haven't mentioned about it for a while so I decide to gather every mysteries that have appeared in the story so far. AND since the universe in this story is a pretty big place, there will be more mystery to come(laugh evilly). But of course, everything will also be revealed sooner or later.**

 **I also placed a small reference in this chapter, can anyone guess it out?**

 **magic135: Oh I have plenty, some of it might not be original but Saki, Rin and Aya will have a seperate arc for each of them. Just wait for it and you'll see what I have in store for their arc.**

 **Well, that's about it. Give me your opinion about the chapter if you please and thanks for reading.**

 **I will see you in the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20: Rival-Manliness

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20** **: ~Rival_Manliness~**

Zastin sip a small amount of tea from the cup he was holding. The Devilukean's commander smiled as he could feel the warm and the tasty favor was spreading all over his mouth.

"Ahh~, Earthling's tea sure is delicious."-he muttered to himself in relaxation."It's a good thing that Lala-sama sent this to us."

Along with the commander, the two subordinates also had a good time drinking the tea, which was a gift that the Devilukean's princess has bought for them. They were in the command center, letting their ship floated in the usual calmness of the vast space. As one of the subordinated was pouring the tea, a strange green dot appeared on the screen before him with a buzzer sound.

"Hm?"

Putting the cup down, he checked the newly visible dot on the holographic map and alerted the military commander.

"Commander Zastin! We're picking up a signal coming from outside the solar system."

Zastin's eyebrow raised at the information and immediately, his expression changed. The calm and relax expression has switched into a serious one.

"Locate the source and put it on the screen."

"Roger! Tracking the source!"

With some typing, an image of a ship was put on the giant screen in front of Zastin. The commander's eyes widened slightly as he recognized it. The ship had an appearance similar to a short aircraft with two big wings resembled a shape of a big circle, serving as the ship main thruster. The head of the ship was made pointy to easily pierce through the sonic barrier and reduce the drag wave.

"That's…..!"

"According to the unidentified ship's routine, it's currently heading toward our coordinate in a fast pace."-the subordinate did another typing before turned to his leader."Estimate time of arrival is in 8 hours."

"Commander, we also received a new message and apparently, it came from the unknown ship!"-the other subordinate informed.

"Send it to me."

"Yes sir!"

A holographic screen flicked before Zastin and the message appeared on it. The Devilukean commander narrowed his eyes as he read every word on the screen.

"So the rumor has spread that far, I can't say I'm not surprised if another candidate tries to reach here."-he muttered quietly.

"Commander, what should we do about this?"

"Reply to them that we have received their message."-Zastin leaned back to his seat and let out a small sigh."For now, let's wait for the owner of that ship to come here first."

The silence of the dark space once again filled the ship after the two subordinates stopped their work and stared on the big screen.

They all looked somewhat tense at the sudden appearance of the new arrival. Zastin started to feel uneasy at this moment, because he recognized that ship.

And he knew….

A new trouble is slowly approaching the green planet.

…

"Lala-chan….no….my bride, I could tell you were here at first glance."-the new transfer student said dreamily while staring into Lala's eyes."Even in a crowd, your beauty shines so much that it could not hide itself."

For some reason, everyone in the classroom all saw sparkle special effect floating around the two. Ren's eyes glittering, adding a more romantic feeling to the atmosphere.

"Oh~, Lala-chan. All these years, I have always wanted to meet you, to see that dazzling smile of yours again ever since we played together in the palace garden."-he turned around, gently waving his hands and emphasized on every single word in his line."After hearing the news about your family's issue, I was so worry that my heart aches every time I think of you being forced into a circumstance that against your true feeling. But now, seeing you doing so well, I'm glad I have come to this remote region."

Ren rushed his hair and held up Lala's hand, smiling brightly.

"Lala-chan, let us share this great moment-"

"Hang on a minute! What do you mean "bride" and what is your relationship with Lala-chan?!"

Saruyama stood up from his seat with a tick mark on his head and said out loud interrupting Ren's words. He didn't want to let this sight continues any further. The other boys who idolized Lala also had the same idea, some of them stood up and gave the new student an unpleasant look.

Ren turned his head and gazed at Saruyama. Despite the unwelcoming aura the boys were emitting, the transfer student didn't even show a sign of wavering. He wiped it off with a confident smile on his face.

"That is a good question."-Ren then narrowed his eyes, putting on a serious look and pointed a finger at Saruyama."Are you the guardian in the rumor?!"

"Huh?"-Saruyama raised an eyebrow at the question.

The whole class stared at the partial white hair boy in wonder as they had no idea what he was talking about.

"Guardian?"-Risa spoke.

"What does he mean by that?"-Mio also spoke up, adding more questions to the true meaning behind Ren's words.

Ito remained silent and glanced briefly at Saruyama. From the look on his face, he could tell that Saruyama knew exactly what the new student named Ren was questioning him. Was Saruyama himself a guardian? Indeed he was, although it was unofficial. Knowing the story of Lala from Ito, Saruyama willing to participate in this temporary task that his friend was carrying on his shoulder.

But he couldn't answer it since it would draw unnecessary attentions toward Lala and perhaps the Yuuki twin. Lala's real identity wasn't something like those normal topics that you can chat every day in your daily life. Now, being stared at by those curious eyes of his classmates, Saruyama found it difficult to let this silence lingered any longer in the room.

"Are you?"-Ren asked him again.

"…I….well…I…I'm…."

"You're stuttering."

"D-d-don't rush me, alright?! No, I'm not and you dodge my question!"

"You're not?"-Ren's eyebrow raised at Saruyama's words, the partial white hair boy didn't seem to care about the last part. With a firm nod from Saruyama, Ren lowered his arm and looked away."I see, excuse me."

Ren turned to another male student, who was sitting next to where he stood, and pointed at him just like he did with Saruyama, that confident smile once again flashed on his face.

"Then, is it you?"

"Uh, no. I have idea what you're talking about."

"I see."-Ren turned to another student."Then, you are!"

"Nope, wrong guy."

"…hm…I thought so…."-Ren's eyebrow twitched lightly at the respond.

Lala blinked at the boy's reaction, as if something came to her mind she placed a finger to her cheek, thinking about it. Saruyama watched the new face closely, the black hair boy started to feel annoyed as that transfer student has completely ignored his question. Ito still didn't say a word and he just stared at Ren with half-opened eyes after seeing him making quite a flashy entrance. As for the orange haired guardian, there was no movement nor reaction from him, he just sat there on his seat in silence.

Right now, Ren was at a loss as he couldn't identify who was Lala's guardian. He didn't expect that he would fail multiple times in pointing out the mysterious individual in those rumors that were spread around the galaxy.

…..no worry, keep yourself calm, me. You are a man, this kind of situation will never make you back down.

Lala was watching him so he needed to keep his cool image together. After all, Ren didn't want Lala to think of him as someone who was not befitting as a man. With that thought in mind, Ren glanced around the classroom to search for that guardian one more time. At the moment when the orange haired boy went into his view, Ren's eyes stopped moving and stared back at him.

Their eyes made contact with each other. As Rito's golden eyes was fixed on him, which was looking straight into his hot pink one. Ren could feel that there was something about the stare that this boy was giving him. It was different from all the stares that Saruyama and the others had.

It was like that boy was observing him.

Slowly turning to the boy, Ren casted a serious look toward Rito. There wasn't any hostility in that gaze of his though, it was calm yet purely serious.

"Are you the guardian?"

"….."

All eyes directed at Rito the moment Ren said that question again.

What was the meaning behind the word "guardian in the rumor"? They didn't know.

By watching Ren's honest or bold manner to be more precisely, their curiousness were urging them, pushing them to want to know more about this guardian stuff that the new transfer student was saying.

Now, looking back and forth between the two students who were deemed to be rival in their sight. They all had the same thought although some of them saw this a little different than others. The girls, especially Risa and Mio, were excited to witness the encounter that was happening in front of their eyes.

To them, this kind of situation is just like those in drama movies. The thrill, the development, the unexpected moment where a boy from the past suddenly appears before the heroin and declares his love for her, breaking the current relationship between the heroin and the boy in the present.

Ren, a boy from the past who approached Lala and declared that she was his bride.

Lala, the heroin and the person who, as they believed, was in a romantic relationship with the orange haired boy.

Rito, the boy in the present and the one who was said to be Lala's fiancé. Again, some of the girls still believed that since the rumor about Lala being his bride hasn't died down yet.

They really liked it, the kind of setting that centers around a romantic but complicated relationship. A story filled with love and hate.

A true soap opera.

But….

Of course, the boys didn't see things that way. It probably wasn't wrong to say that their jealousy was kicking in. Because not only that orange haired boy, another tough rival has appeared from out of nowhere and apparently, this new guy seemed to have a close relationship with Lala. What added more to their stress was that nearly all the girls in the class got hooked by him through first glance.

And so they cried….how could life be so unfair?!...silently in their head while watching the two.

Sairenji, on the other hand, was curious, puzzled by what Ren just asked Rito. She, Risa and Mio knew the truth about the rumor of Lala being the boy's bride from the alien girl herself. But now the blue haired girl was just wondering what did Ren means when he said the term "guardian in the rumor" as she looked at Rito and waited for a respond.

Silence took place and went on as everyone in the room patiently waited for an answer from the asked boy. For whatever the reason was, Rito and Ren's gazed still fixed on each other in the next few seconds. Until a hand raised up….

"I have a question~!"-Lala's cheerful voice broke the eternal silence.

"Yes, what is it, Lala-chan?"

"Who are you~?"

Ren fell backward instantly like he was struck by a meteor. With the close relationship that he and that princess has built, that question sure gave him a critical damage.

"A-as expect of Lala-chan, this will never be easy. But it's okay, something like this cannot discourage me."-taken a few steps back in shock, Ren quickly regained his composure."Because I am a man!"

This time instead of keeping it in his thought, he spoke it out loud to himself like it was something that he really proud of. Rito sweat dropped at the sight and Saruyama looked at Ren half-heartedly.

…what's up with this guy?

Ren began walking toward Lala with determination burning in his eyes. His hand reached to a picture inside the pocket and showed it to her.

"Here, Lala-chan."

"Hm?"

The girl took the picture and looked at it. There were two small figures playing on a huge bed.

"Oh~, this is me when I was little."

Lala recognized one of them, the small child with attractive pink haired in the picture was her back then when she was young and the other was a….

"…"-Rito squinted his eyes when he leaned forward and looked at the photo through Lala's shoulder.

The other was a….

"…"-Ito and Saruyama both got out from their seats to take a closer look at it, their also squinted their eyes a little. The three didn't aware that they were getting a lot of attention from their classmates.

The other one was a…..

"You're a girl?!"Saruyama exclaimed with both eyes opened wide at Ren.

"What nonsense are you babbling?! I am a MAN!"-the partial white haired boy retorted.

"But in the picture you were wearing skirt."-Ito said, he was really impressed by the way Ren looked when he was young."And no offense, your face looks a lot like a girl with that knot on the head, too."

Letting out a snort, a smug visage flashed on Ren's face when Ito spoke those lines.

"Offense? Not at all, just look and memorize it. This is the proof of our deep relationship, Lala-chan and me."-Ren's eyes sparkled as he recalled back to the nostalgic childhood."When we were young, Lala-chan often teased me and dressed me up like a girl saying that I'm cute due to my appearance looked like a girl at that time."

The trio blinked at his words, feeling a little pity for the new student. Unfortunately, he wasn't finish yet.

"Every time she created a new inventions, she experimented it on me almost every day. Lala-chan smiled a lot and I cried a lot, it was a tough moment in life. But even so, to me, those were also good memories. The time we played together, the time we spent together, not even once did I forget about it."

…...poor guy…...

….damn it, I'm so jealous of him!

….how come those are good memories?

"And one day, Lala-chan promised me that if I…"

… _.ne Lala-chan, if I become manlier in the future, will you marry me…._

… _.okay~, if you get manly….._

"Oh~, I remember you now! You are cry-baby Ren-chan~!"-Lala clasped both hand in happy that her childhood friend came here to see her.

"You finally remembered."-Ren smiled warmly at her.

"Please wait, Lala-sama, did you say such a thing?"-Peke whispered to his creator.

"Hm, I remember him but I don't remember that part thought. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."-Lala thought back, feeling a bit confusing."I'm not so sure."

Ren took that promise to his heart and tried his best to work hard ever since.

And now, he had come here on Earth. To prove that he has become a man, a person that worthy to be next to his dearest childhood friend.

"Do you understand how deep our relationship is now? Like the Earth and its moon, we are close to each other."-Ren turned to Lala, his eyes sparkled dreamily and the background suddenly filled with flowers and shiny effects."Lala-chan, I'm not asking for an immediately answer. I just want you to look at me, at how manly I have grown as a classmate. And eventually you will realize who is really suitable to be your marriage partner."

The whole class couldn't help but stared at Ren in astonishment for his bold and romantic declaration. The boys wasn't really amused though but the girls kept whispering excitingly among them. That confident smile one again flashed on Ren's face and quickly faded away as he remembered he was in the middle of a talk with the orange haired boy.

"I forgot."-he turned his head to him and pointed a finger at him."You still haven't answer my question."

"…..?"

"What is your name?"

"….Rito….Yuuki Rito."

"Yuuki Rito, are you the guardian in the rumor?"

"…."

"If you are…"-not waiting for a reply, Ren continued."….then from now on we will be rival. I will show you that I can protect Lala-chan better than you by my manliness."

"…"

The atmosphere became tensed once the line was spoke.

"Erm…"

Everyone turned their head as an older voice came from the elderly teacher caught their attention.

"C-can I start class now?"

"Yes, please go ahead!"

The partial white haired boy quickly replied before Rito could even utter a word.

Later on, the battle to see who is the most suitable for Lala began….with Rito didn't even have the slightest idea that he was in a challenge.

…

 **(Time: Math session)**

"Alright, who can answer this problem?"-the teacher asked as he pointed at a question.

"Yes! I'll answer it before Yuuki Rito! The answer is square root of 2 plus 3 multiply square roof of 5!"-Ren stood up and answered immediately.

"C-correct."

"Wow, he's smart!"-some of the girls commented.

"..."-Rito blinked at him and went back to his notebook.

 **(Time: Chemistry session)**

"Who can tell the difference between organic and inorganic compounds?"

"Me! I'll memorize the lesson before Yuuki Rito! The difference between organic and inorganic compounds is that organic compounds contain carbon while most inorganic compounds do not!"

"T-that's correct."

"Wow, he's so intelligent!"

"…"-no comment from the orange haired boy.

 **(Time: P.E session)**

Ren sprinted to the goal with all his might and surpassed everyone's speed.

"Yes! I reached the 100 meters goal faster than Yuuki Rito!"-he punched the air above his head in joy.

Satisfied, he turned around and looked back at Rito with a grin. However, that grin quickly vanished and replaced by a gasp and a sweat drops icon on his head.

Rito ran casually with normal speed and was still far away from him. What made Ren sweat dropped was that his rival are talking with Saruyama who was behind him. Rito didn't seem to spend much effort into competing with Ren.

Lucky for Ren, his effort didn't go unnoticed by a person.

….this is just durable running, he doesn't have to be so rush. But still, his speed is good.-the P.E teacher commented silently in his thought.

Well, that wasn't what Ren aimed for anyway.

 **(Time: lunch break)**

Rito took a small bite from the yakisoba bread while looking out the window, Saruyama and Ito also gave themselves the priceless taste of one of the most delicious fast foods in Sainan high school. They were having a relaxing moment after the physical education lesson. And they could have enjoy it if there wasn't any annoying chewing sound coming from the new transfer student.

Ren was eating two big bread and drank water at the same time while staring intensely at Rito. The trio didn't feel much comfortable since Ren was sitting right next to them and ate his lunch in a fast pace like there are no tomorrow.

Taking another bite from his bread, Rito slowly turned his head to Ren. Seeing the chance, Ren spoke with confidence.

"Look! I can eat more and faster than you, too!"-was what Ren trying to say with a pile of food stuffed in his mouth.

Unexpectedly, the orange haired boy quickly looked away and tried not to pay attention to whatever his self-proclaimed rival was doing.

…what the…! Did he just ignore me?!

….

While the battle was still on.

Lala stood on the top floor of the school building, her long pink hair fluttered lightly as a small breeze went past her. The alien girl was alone as there was no one aside from her here. Leaning against the fence, her beautiful emerald green eyes reflected a full view of Sainan town.

But viewing the scenery wasn't the reason she came here.

"So Peke, what is it that you want to tell me?"

"Ah yes, it seems Ren-dono plans to stay on Earth as an Earthling until he can get your attention. Lala-sama, what are going to do about him?"

"Hm~, even if Ren-chan said that. I still want to marry Rito."

"But Lala-sama. I think you shouldn't be so rush in your decision."

"What do you mean?"-confusing by the question, Lala looked up to the round hairclip on her head.

"It is good that Rito-dono has indeed helped you a lot with living on Earth and protected you from the candidates. But you yourself should have known this by now, Rito-dono thinks of himself as only a temporary guardian of yours. He rejected your confession and he doesn't seem to open his heart to you much."

"Well, these things could take time. I'm sure we will understand each other somehow."

"But I doubt your relationship would progress at this point, Lala-sama."

"…why…?"-Lala blinked at Peke's word, feeling more confused.

"Rito-dono doesn't willing to share his story with you, his "sickness" and that right hand of him. And I know you've been restraining yourself from asking him about it since yesterday. If this keeps up, the relationship between him and you will never be improved."

"Then maybe I should go ask him right now."-Lala turned and was about to make a step toward the door but Peke stopped her.

"No, Lala-sama. Ito-dono has said this once, Rito-dono's "sickness" is one of the most sensitive topics that he had no intention to share so doing this won't make the circumstance any better. There are things that they called privacy and we should respect it."

"Then what can I do to make this better? I like Rito and I truly want to know more about him."

Lala spoke in a soft tone as she looked down on her feet. Noticing the usual high spirit attitude of his master was fading, Peke let out a small sigh.

"I suggest you should take this slow, Lala-sama. But if I have to say so, I think you should open your view a little more. For the time being, why don't you just look around a little?"

"Look around?"

"I'm saying maybe you should pay attention to Ren-dono a little bit. He came all this way here only to see you after all and I think we both know that he is your childhood friend."

"Are you saying that I should…"

…you should give him a chance, Lala-sama….

…..

After finishing their lunch, the trio walked through a long corridor heading toward a familiar location behind the school. And of course, with the thirst for winning the challenge, Ren also followed them.

"Where are you going next, Yuuki Rito?"-he asked him.

"Buy some drinks."-the rival who didn't think of himself as a rival looked back at Ren and answered.

"Then I'll go to wherever you are going and buy it before you."

"Um…sure, go head. But do you know where it is?"

"Don't underestimate me, I'll just have to run around the school and find it before you."-Ren smiled confidently.

"Just follow this path, turn left at a T junction and walk straight to a big yard. You'll find a vending machine there."

Ren stared at Rito in shock, his mouth opened so wide that the jaw nearly touched the ground as Rito showed him the way to the machine, a really detailed description of the way to be more precisely.

To the partial white haired boy, this is unbelievable.

"Yuuki Rito, I'm serious here!"-Ren said sternly."If you don't take this challenge as seriously as I do, then what's the point of me proving that I have become manly for Lala!"

"Challenge?...uhm…..I'm sorry…..what challenge?"-Rito sweat dropped.

"You don't know?!"-Ren cried loudly."I have been challenging you and you didn't even notice?! Are you really Lala-chan's guardian?!"

Unintentionally, their conversation started to attract people's attentions. Knowing it would be a bad idea to stay here, Ito went behind Ren and gently pushed him to keep going.

"Wait, w-what are you-?"

"Just come with us, we can't talk about it here."

The four students made it to the vending machine without creating anymore unnecessary attentions. Putting some coins into the machine, the drinks were served. Ren was really confused by their acts, especially the orange haired boy as he also gave him a drink of his own.

"What is the meaning of this?"-Ren frowned, looking at Rito in suspicious.

"It's an orange juice can."

"I'm not asking for that, why are you giving it to me? Don't you think of me as a rival?"

"About that, I want to ask you something, too."

"…!"

"Are you one of the candidates?"

"Don't put me in the same category as them, I'm nothing like those candidates who want to marry Lala-chan only to seek for power and property."-Ren stopped as a realization struck him. He stared at Rito with eyes opened wide."You….I was right, you really ARE the guardian in the rumor!"

"…I am."-Rito simply nodded.

"Yuuki Rito! Why didn't you say anything when I asked you back there?!"-Ren stopped again, but with a grin on his face this time."I get it, my manliness are so bright and cool that you have finally decided to reveal yourself and admit that I am manlier than you, am I right?"

He rushed his hair and stood straight, showing the trio a manly postures. Sparkle special effect appeared behind the background making Ren himself more appeal, only to be swept away with a single line from the guardian.

"..uhh….no, I don't think so."

Ren comically fell backward like he was being struck by another meteor.

"I…I s-see, I should have known it would take more than that to defeat my rival in this challenge."

"You've been saying rival non-stop, just what are we competing? And since when did I become your rival?"

"As I said before, Yuuki Rito. Since you are Lala-chan's guardian, I will challenge you and prove myself to Lala so she could see that I am manly enough to be someone who is more suitable to protect her, to stay by her side."

Standing up and wiped off the dirt, Ren looked up the sky with that dreamy hot pink eyes of him. Both hands clasped together and a faint tinge of red slowly made itself visible on his cheeks.

"And when the time comes, I will confess my love to her."

Hearing those words brought a question mark on Saruyama's head.

"Didn't you just confess to Lala-chan before the first lesson starts?"

"Those words that I spoke earlier were not a confession, I was just complimenting some of her best, wonderful, brilliance features since we have finally meet each other after such a long time…wait a minute, you called Lala-chan by her first name multiple times? Who are you and what kind of relationship you are having with my goddess?!"

"Me?"-Saruyama smirked and rushed his spiky hair, trying to act cool."Sorry for not telling you the truth back then, but I am her guardian."

"What?!"

Ren's hot pink eyes went wide at the statement. Now, he felt more confusing than ever. Lala has two guardians? He has never heard of such a story. And why did Saruyama lie to him?

"Unofficial, of course."-Ito added the explanation, which ruined the satisfied smile Saruyama was having on his face while watching Ren's reaction.

"Must you say that?!"

Ren stared at the two in dumbfound.

"Wha-what do you mean unofficial? Are you a guardian, too?"

"Yeah, I am. Saruyama and I participate in helping Rito to protect Lala from anyone that wants to bring trouble to her and everyone else on Earth. In other word, we both became her unofficial guardians since Zastin and Lala's father still don't know about this. Rito is the only guardian here that the Deviluke's king approved."-Ito pointed to himself and moved his thumb toward Saruyama as he introduced his friend."By the way, I'm Ito, Rito's brother and this is Saruyama Kenichi."

Saruyama waved weakly at Ren while he looked down at the ground, mumbling something under his breath in depress.

Something like…..

"…there goes my cool moment…..."

Yeah, something like that alright.

Rito chuckled awkwardly at the sight.

"I don't understand…."-Ren let out a deep voice.

All eyes fell onto the partial white haired boy the moment they noticed the change in his tone.

"Why didn't you say you are the guardian when I asked you in the classroom? Why did you all kept silent and now you willing to reveal yourself to me?"

"If we did that, we could have given out Lala's real identity as an alien princess."-Ito calmly said."I'm sorry, but we are not going to risk that. It could bring a ton of troubles to Lala and us."

"…..?"

"As you can see, the Earth is still a developing planet and it lied in an isolated region. People here don't take alien topics well, it is something like a myth to them. So if the story of Lala being a princess who came to Earth from a different planet goes to the public, it might cause a lot of commotion across the globe."-Rito bowed his head down slightly in an apologetic manner."And I'm sorry, back then I thought you were having an ulterior motive while approaching Lala like those candidates I had met. I didn't know that you are her childhood friend."

Ren looked at the orange haired boy in bewildered. What made him stunned wasn't the honest apologize from Rito, it was the way they thought about the safety of his crush. Saruyama lied to him, although it's very likely that he really want to say the title proudly before his classmate, but eventually he didn't which is good. Rito and Ito decided to stay silent the whole time before Lala herself unintentionally distracted the whole class with her question, which Ren still found himself pretty much shock when he thought about it. Nevertheless to say, the three of them knew the risk if they have answered to the question and carefully avoided it.

Ren didn't aware of that fact. When he thought back to the debut he made a few hours ago, he sweated a bit as he realized that he almost gave out his real identity as an alien, too.

…..that was close, I need to be more careful from now on.

However, a thought came his mind as he recalled the moment he tried to uncover the guardian's truth identity. Ren's eyebrow twitched and soon a tick mark appeared on his head.

The moment Saruyama answered that he's not the guardian.

The alien boy has believed his lie so easily.

He felt like an idiot.

"Just you wait!"

The trio jolted lightly at his loud voice.

"This challenge isn't over yet! I will definitely defeat you square and fair, Yuuki Rito! I'll make Lala-chan realize that who is the best here!"

"You're still on about it?!"

"That has been my main goal from the beginning….wait, no….my main goal is to see Lala-chan. But never mind that! I will keep challenging you until the end of the day, so fight me seriously, Yuuki Rito."

He had worked hard for this, spent a lot of effort into this.

He refused to let his rival slack off even for a short moment in this competition.

"Look, Elsie. This isn't-"

"Call me Ren."

"…..Ren…..fight me doesn't mean that Lala will accept you. I'm just her guardian, someone who protects her from anything that could be a threat. It's Lala who makes the decision to be with the person she likes."

"That doesn't matter, I still want to challenge you. That way I can prove to Lala how manly and how capable I am to be with her."

Rito didn't have a choice to make as he saw those fire burning inside Ren's hot pink eyes. He knew Ren was serious, any more talk will never make him change his mind. Letting out a small sigh, the orange haired boy nodded hesitantly.

"…fine…."

"Good, that's what I want to hear."-Ren put on a winning smile.

Rito shifted his eyes to Saruyama and his brother, wondering if this is alright. Ito just shrugged and sip his favorite chocolate drink. Saruyama shook his head, probably gave in to Ren's stubbornness. They have no choice but to go along with this.

"And for now…."

Ren opened the orange juice can and drank the whole thing in one go.

"I'll drink this faster than you!"

Rito couldn't help but let out another long sigh.

He really hoped this would end soon.

* * *

 **Author's note: well, that's a long chapter. And I guess I still make it in time, right? Right?  
**

 **magic135: well, it takes time for Lala's character development to progress. Anyway, thanks for the review, it's because of you that I can know Lala is still in her own right personality. Really appreciate it.**

 **Eramis8: Hohoho, things are going to become more interesting after this chapter, I guarantee it.**

 **Alright then, without much further to say(actually I don't have anything to say), I will continue my humble talk in the next note.**

 **Review the chapter if you please. I'll see you guys in the next one.**


	21. Chapter 21: Run-References

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 21** **: ~Run_Reference~**

Ever since knowing Rito is the Devilukean's princess's guardian, Ren has been extremely enthusiastic about competing with him through the entire afternoon. Rito had no choice but to go along with this challenge of the alien boy.

Every time the orange haired boy started to do something, he went and finished it in a hasty way before the boy could.

One time the elderly teacher Honekawa-sensei called out to Rito to help him bring a stack of books to the office. Before Rito could even stepped out from his seat, Ren quickly grabbed the whole stack on the table and dashed out of the room which made everyone in class looked at his back in amazement. Some were sweat dropped though, including Saruyama and Ito.

One time while Rito was carrying the dustbin to take out the trash, Ren yanked it from his grasp and ran ahead to the trash container behind school. Luckily, this time Rito was the one who had the upper hand since Ren accidently stumbled on his feet due to his thirst for winning got the better of him and the dustbin got thrown out from his hands. In the end, it was Rito who made it to the container before Ren. Ren hasn't given up though.

Another time when the two walked along the hallway, meaning Ren was following Rito obviously. They both saw a girl who was carrying a heavy stack of book walked down the stair, the girl steadily moved her trembling feet but the weight of those books didn't allow that as it pressed her down making her toddled like a child. Knowing the girl was about to fall down at any moment, Rito walked up the stair and offered a hand but was immediately interrupted by Ren as the alien boy shoved him aside and held the heavy stack for her.

"Here, let me help you."-Ren spoke with a gentle smile, making the student blushed.

The unreal sparkle special effect once again surrounded Ren and the female student, which made Rito looked at him with half-opened eyes and sweat dropped.

Various challenges happened between the two. The partial white haired boy even picked the smallest stuff to compete with Rito such as writing the lesson on the board, taking out the required book for the next lesson, etc.

Despite being forced to join in this so called manliness competition of Ren, Rito was just glad that nothing was broken or ruined during their rivalry.

Eventually, the battle between the two stopped when the school's bell rang at the end of the last lesson. As Lala stood up from her seat, readying to go home with the sibling, Ren quickly approached her with a victorious smile on his face.

"Lala-chan! What do you think? I have become manly, haven't I?"

Lala didn't reply back, instead she just blinked at him as if she was thinking about something else, something that Peke had told her back then when they were on the rooftop.

… _ **..You should give him a chance, Lala-sama…**_

…..hm~, giving Ren-chan a chance….but what does Peke means by that?-she wondered.

The alien girl wasn't sure of what to think of Ren. Ren was one of her childhood friends and Lala was really happy when he came all the way to this planet to see her. Never before had she thought of him as someone more than just her closest friend.

But while watching the battle between him and Rito. Lala saw a side of Ren that she has never seen during their childhood and she found it different than what Ren always calls manliness.

"I don't really know."-and so she bluntly said."But if anything, I think you've become more interesting~."

Ren made a face like the world was on the brink of destruction after being hit with dozen of meteors, his eyes widen and his jaw dropped in pure shock. All the efforts, all the challenges he has competed with Rito to prove the manliness in him had went down the drain because of a simple word from Lala.

Why?

How could it be possible?

Was he still not manly enough?-were lied among the thoughts that are currently spinning around in the partial white haired boy's head. Disappointed, panicked, confusing soon filled all over his mind. Just what did he miss? How come Lala see him interesting but not manly?

Unable to come up with an answer to his own, a sense of dread hit him. Taking back a step, Ren's shaking hot pink eyes shifted to Rito who was watching him with an unreadable expression, unsure if it was a concerning one or not.

Does this mean he has lost to him?

…I don't understand…

He was clearly manly than him.

…I won most of the challenges…..

Ren bit his lip lightly as tear started on his eyes. He looked down on the ground, letting the bangs covered his face so no one could see it.

…don't...you're a man….Ren…you prepared for this, you don't want Lala-chan to see this weak side of yours. Something must have been wrong here, that's right! That's got to be it!

Resisting the urge to let out a single drop of tear. Ren looked up to Lala with a forced smile but he couldn't hide the fact that his eyes has become watery. Rito along with Saruyama and Ito all widened their eyes slightly at the sight. Lala didn't have a clue why Ren looked like that although she found it familiar since now he was almost like the nick-name that she gave him when they were young, cry-baby Ren-chan.

"La…..Lala-chan….."-Ren spoke softly, there was a hint of nervous in his tone."….w-what…..what do you think of me right now?"

"Hm~."-Lala placed a finger on her lip and answered thoughtfully with a bright smile."I think Ren-chan is a really good friend."

Well, she did giving some thought to his question…didn't she?

Ren immediately flew back comically as that statement struck him hard like being punched straight to the face.

This is….

…this is not what I work so hard for…

Ren shut tight both eyes, trying his best not to let out those "manly" tears streaming out. As if in desperate, Ren hurriedly grabbed his school bag and ran toward the door. He pushed the door hard enough that a loud bang echoed in the entire hallway and ran away from there, away from Lala, away from everyone in the room.

All his classmates looked at him in wonder as he disappeared from their sight. Lala's eyebrows raised a little not knowing what was happening with her childhood friend. Risa, Haruna and Mio just simply stared at the door that was burst opened by Ren like other students, didn't quite caught up with the circumstance. Ito briefly shook his head while let out a short sigh, feeling pity for the alien boy. Rito remained silent as he really didn't know what to think about this. Saruyama stood next to him, scratching the back of his head.

"So…..does this mean you win the challenge?"

All eyes directed at the orange haired boy once Saruyama said that line.

Of course, there was no respond to his question since the sibling stared at him with half-opened eyes.

…..

The sun went down and night came. Like the other usual nights, the charming light it brought from a billion of stars spread across the whole sky. Haruna's blue eyes glittered a bit as she looked up, letting the image of the black sky reflected deep into her eyes. Walking beside her was a small Boston Terrier named Maron.

Currently, Haruna was having a walk with her pet dog around the town at night, an activity that they both did occasionally. Since Haruna was busy studying at school and her older sister always went off to work and came home late, the dog had to stay at home most of the time in a day. The girl often takes Maron out for an exercise walk so he could enjoy the refresh, clean air of the outside that he didn't have a chance to during the day back in their apartment.

While they were taking the familiar routine around the town, Haruna's pet dog suddenly rushed off to somewhere else and caught its owner by surprise as it pulled the leash out from her grip.

"Ah! Maron, where are you going?! Come back!"

Haruna called out to the dog and chased after him. But after a short moment, Haruna ended up losing sight of Maron since he turned at one of many alleyways and quickly disappeared into the dark street with great speed.

"Ma-Maron!"

The girl called his name one more time but the pet dog didn't came back, the quietness of Sainan town in the evening was the only respond she could receive.

Haruna began to feel worried for the small dog, afraid that Maron would be involved in some kind of trouble with that strange behavior of his.

Then, unexpectedly after that, the silence was broke by a screaming voice.

…

"Kyyaaa! W-w-what is with this creature?! Please leave me be!"

The voice's owner ran as fast as she could to escape from the fearful yet small animal that was chasing right behind her. Trying not to look back at the weird being, tears started to form in her eyes.

It was just a moment ago that she still strolled around the town for no real particular reason. While taking a small bite from the food holding in both arms, she was walking leisurely along a small road next to a big, long grass field that lied a river in the middle. As the girl enjoyed the night view of Sainan town, this thing suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. At the moment, there was no street light in that area so the girl couldn't see the thing well, so with a roar from the animal, she thought itself was a beast. It brought panic to her and the girl started running.

Not letting the small beast has a chance to catch it prey, meaning the girl herself or she believed so. She turned and went past a bridge near there, the only path that could lead the way back to her home. However, as she did so, a few pieces of the food she was eating fell out from the bag and hit itself on the solid surface.

Yet the girl didn't look back and kept running when the thing's heavy breathing sound becomes even more intense from behind. Then, there was chewing sound, like the noise of a pointy object dug into a fresh meat many times in an extremely violent way.

Finally out of the bridge, the girl stopped in her track, only dared to turn her head a bit to take a brief glance at what was happening with the food that were fell out from the bag earlier. Over there, she saw a small dog who was digging his teeth into all those aliments.

Swallowing the last piece, the dog finished everything in a beat and stared at the light green haired girl with the glowing eyes of a hungry beast. It let out a faint growl as its front feet put a step forward and slowly approached the helpless maiden.

Maron couldn't help it, he couldn't control his desire for wanting to taste that strangely delicious stuff in the bag that she was holding. The aroma was so strong and sweet that the moment he smelled it, all the keen instinct inside him has been completely shut down. Right now, licking it and eating it over and over again was the only one thing that the small Boston Terrier wished to do.

Watching the dog stuck out his tongue and saliva dripped out non-stop, Run could feel her entire body shuddered.

"D-don't come near me!"-she yelled out loudly but the effort seemed to be a waste as her voice was so soft and shaken.

Maron put another step forward.

"S-stay back!"

Another step…

"No! Why am I have to be in this kind of situation?! R-Ren!"-in panic, Run called out the name of the alien boy for help by reflex although she knew it's impossible.

"Woof!"(Miss Young lady.)-Maron let out a woof.

Run startled, her grip on the bag became harder.

"Woof! Woof!"(It might be rude for me to say this all of a sudden, but please….)

The dog suddenly launched himself toward Run, both eyes sparkled, aiming for the bag.

"Woooooffffff!"(Let me have another taste of the delicious stuff inside that bag!)

"Go away!"

Mistakenly thinking that the small dog was going to attack, Run closed her eyes and swung the bag rapidly in a defensive manner. It hit Maron by the face with full force and he was sent flying backward. His whole body landed and bounced comically on the ground like a stuffed toy. Stars flew above his head, it seemed the hit has momentarily took out his consciousness.

Run let out a small gasp as the danger was over. But before she could get herself to calm down, the sound of footsteps and a shadow coming toward the bridge from the other side gave her another light jolt.

Fearful for another dangerous encounter, Run immediately spun around and ran away from there as far as possible, not noticed that the impact from that hit has thrown out nearly all the food in her bag.

Following the voice from earlier, Sairenji found herself arrived at the bridge that connected to a part of the town lied under the mountain. The blue haired girl widened her eyes when she saw her family's pet dog lying on the ground with some strange objects near him.

"Maron!"-she gently lifted up the dog."What happened to you? Suddenly went off like that….Maron?"

Sairenji trailed off as she noticed the dog didn't show any sign of moving or more like he was sleeping soundly. Sairenji glanced around her spot and those strange objects caught her eyes.

…..hm? What is this?

Sairenji grabbed one of the strange stuff and stared at it as if this was the first time she saw it. It has a sweet scent and apparently looks really tasty considering the soft feeling she could feel in her hand just by touching it. It was like she was holding a bread with strawberry and vanilla favor mixing together. Before Sairenji could give out any more assumptions about this discovery, Maron's eyes shot open and he snatched it from her hand, chewing like it was a matter between life and death.

"M-Maron?!"

… Maron doesn't look like his usual self, I wonder what's wrong.

Well, indeed he doesn't. With Maron's sensitive nose, it would be extremely difficult for him to resist against the strong aroma the food was emitting.

While Confused and clueless of Maron's behavior, Sairenji took a brief glance to her surrounding when she noticed that the owner of that voice from earlier wasn't here. She was worried that Maron has caused trouble to them considering the amount of this strange stuff scattered on the ground.

Bam!

Sairenji snapped out from her thought with a jolt by the sudden loud noise. Inside an alleyway far from the bridge, a trash can slowly rolled out until it finally hit the river down the grass field.

She saw a girl with light green hair sat up next to a pile of dirt and trash, she must have tripped and stumbled into those on her way.

Sairenji picked Maron, who was still chewing those food, up and fixed her gaze at the girl until she was no longer in her sight.

Now, alone with Maron and unsure of what to do next with all these strange food, Sairenji decided to put it in a nearby trash can near before going back to her usual walk with the pet dog.

Well, you know what they say. Keep the environment clean.

As the blue haired was ready to leave, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a familiar figure of a boy in her class heading into one of many alleyways where the girl with light green hair just stumbled not long ago.

…..is that…Yuuki-kun?

…..

 **[A few hours ago…..]**

"Ouch….ouch…."-came a groan from a certain black spiky haired boy as he rubbed the bite mark on his head, anime tears rolled down from his eyes."This is hurt…..this is really hurt. Index, just how sharp your teeth is?"

"….."-the little girl in white habit pouted and angrily turned her head to the side, ignoring the boy.

"Um….Index, are you mad?"

"Hmph."-she huffed him, still looking away.

"L-look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shove the naruto into your face, my hand just slipped! I didn't know there was a piece of onion under my elbow!"

"…..."-Index still won't look at him.

"Please don't be angry at him, Index. You do know that Daigo is really favored by misfortune, right?"-the orange haired boy, who was walking next to Daigo spoke up nerviously."It was just an accident, he really didn't mean it."

"Index-chan, just forgive Madoka-san this one time. He has already apologized."-Mikan chimed in, tried to ease the bad mood of the little nun.

Index turned her head and looked up at Daigo with half-opened eyes, frowning slightly.

"Daigo shoved food into me."

"I'm sorry!"-he bowed his head down.

"Daigo ruined my appetite."

"I'm so sorry!"-the spiky haired boy paused and raised an eyebrow at the nun."Wait, since when did you have an appetite? You usually eat everything on the table in one-"

The boy stopped his word instantly when a dark aura began to emerge from the nun. Daigo sweated and trembled at the same time as the moon's light shined upon those bared teeth that Index was showing to him with a low growl escapes from her mouth. The black spiky haired boy quickly hid behind the back of another boy with red haired, who was wheeling a bicycle on his left while walking on foot. Ryuuma didn't say anything and simply sweat dropped.

They all walked along an empty street, making their way back home. When the twin came back to their house after school ended, Rito received a message from his father, Yuuki Saibai, saying he needs some helps to clean up all the mess in his studio. Rito and Mikan went there to help him and it took them quite an effort to tidy up the place since papers and ink bottles lied almost everywhere in the apartment. Lala and Ito didn't go with them though, the alien girl said she was busy with something, something like creating an RPG game and she needed Ito's help.

After finishing everything, Mikan and the orange haired boy headed back and decided to buy some foods for the other two at home as it was getting late. As he promised to Lala that he will show her Japan's cuisine in the trip not long ago, both made their way to a famous ramen restaurant in Sainan, the Ichiraku Ramen. Over there, they met Daigo and Index digging into the ramen cups. However, the moment they saw those two was also the exact moment misfortune mercilessly struck the spiky haired boy. As Index asked for more narutomaki, Daigo willing to share his by gripping the piece in his bowl and passed it directly to Index who was sitting on the other side of the table.

The boy told her to open her mouth by saying "ahh~" and for a moment it became a very intimate sight for everyone there. This made Index blushed a bit and although hesitating, she still leaned toward him, closed both eyes and her mouth opened wide. Daigo also leaned forward using his left elbow to support the body while his right hand put the narutomaki piece into Index mouth.

Immediately, his left elbow slipped in a way that couldn't be any more ridiculous and it wasn't a pretty sight. Daigo's face went straight into his own ramen bowl and the food holding in his chopstick was shoved right at Index's face. What happened next was that the unlucky boy earned a deadly bite from the small nun.

That was what lead to the current situation between them. As for Ryuuma, they just met him on the way back as he finished some works of the Yorozuya in a nearby town named Kuoh.

Now, back to the present….

"P-please calm down, Index! I'll make it up to you so please retract those teeth!"-Daigo said in a shivering tone.

The dark aura around the girl became more intense as she stepped toward him.

"I….I…I'll c-cook another meal for you!"

"Really?!"

Sparkling and shining effect flew around Index as the nun looked at Daigo with full of hope. The dark aura wasn't there anymore.

"Really! I'll make another meal for you! Ju-just name the food and I'll cook it!"

"I want to eat sushi!"

"Sure."-Daigo sighed in relief."What kind of sushi do you want to eat?"

"All kind of it~!"-Index smiled brightly.

Daigo went extremely paled after hearing those spoken words. He now realized that he just dig up his own grave.

"Such misfortune."-he muttered.

Rito, Mikan and Ryuuma sweat dropped, feeling somewhat pity for him.

….

Later, the group parted away as they reached the apartment where Daigo and the nun were living. The two waved good bye at the group and continued their argument about the sushi. Ryuuma walked to the other way with his bicycle after giving Mikan and the orange haired boy a light nod, he didn't talk much.

"Oh well, it's only us now."-Mikan stretched out both hand in relaxation."I think we should go home fast, Lala-san and Ito must be hungry by now."

"No, you head home first, Mikan. I need to go somewhere for a bit."

"It's pretty late now, where else could you go at this time?"-Mikan blinked at him, surprised by the sudden decision.

Rito pointed to the mountain far away on the other side of the river.

"I want to go have another look at the place where I saw that spaceship last night."

"…Rito…"

"Remember when I told you back in dad's studio that Lala's childhood friend came into my school to see her? I think that spaceship could belong to him."

"But it's dark now, why not tomorrow? You could either ask him at school."

"I'll be quick, alright? I want to confirm again whether that thing is another one of my hallucinations or not. I know that going into the forest at night is not a good idea but I'm sure you would be less worried about my "sickess" if that ship is truly existed. So the sooner is the better."

Mikan opened her mouth to say but stopped midway, she knew Rito had a point. She was worrying about his "sickness" ever since he brought up that spaceship topic and couldn't find it yesterday. The younger sister looked straight into her brother's eyes and she knew he was serious. No matter what she said, he would likely never change his mind.

"Fine."-Mikan gave out a small sigh."Just don't stay up there for too long, Rito."

"I won't."

"But…."-she pointed up a finger."If you couldn't find that spaceship you were talking about this time then I want you to stop staying up late."

"…?"

"It's not healthy, you know. And it's not like you don't have all the time in the world to admire the stars either."

"Well…"-Rito's voice trailed off as he tried to find the right word to speak.

"Rito, before Lala-san came to Earth, I knew you were staying up late almost every midnight only to draw some constellations and watch it. Sometime, I knock the door and go into your room to wake you up in the morning, I always saw the window was wide-opened and you were leaning on its frame, sleeping."

Rito glanced at the sideway and rubbed his cheek awkwardly. The little sister folded her arms and continued with her lecture, her tone was serious yet full of concern.

"Honestly, you should sleep properly, I don't know why you like doing those stuff but staying up late it's a bad habit. It could even be the reason why you have hallucination again."

"W-wait Mikan, like I said, we're still not sure if I actually have hallucination again or not."

"Then prove it to me that the ship you saw yesterday really exists."

"Will a picture do?"

"No need for it, I want to hear it directly from you."

"…..?"-Rito's eyebrow raised a bit at Mikan's words.

"I need only the words from you and I can tell if you are lying to me or not."-the little sister grinned."Because after all, you are never good at lying."

"A-alright."-Rito sweat dropped as he handed her the bag with two ramen packs and turned around."I'll be going then."

"Hurry up and come home, don't keep Lala-san waiting for too long."

….

 **[Present time…]**

He took off and now he was here, staring at the dark, narrowed path that lead him deep into the forest and to that vast opened field. A small breeze rushed through the orange haired boy as he stood, letting all the thoughts circulated in his mind. This will be the second time he went to confirm the existence of that "shooting star". He knew it wasn't an illusion, he believed his eyes won't deceive him again but yet he felt nervous of the thought that it wasn't there from the beginning.

….can't lose confidence now. It has to be there.

Touching the scar on his head for a moment, Rito shook his head and proceed forward. The dim light of the street lamp covered the entrance of the pitch black road began to flick as he walked past it. The sound of the wind and the quietness of Sainan town at night made the forest becomes more mysterious and somewhat darker than it always looks. Stepping closer to the dark road, Rito found himself slightly shivered when he heard a faint sobbing noise in the cool breeze.

He looked over his shoulder to locate the source of the chilling sound.

….it's near here.

Completely switching his focus onto the sound, Rito followed it. He couldn't leave it, it was soft and a little bit broken as if the owner of it was on the verge of tear. The orange haired slow down his steps when he arrived at a small park for children.

In there, sitting on one of the swings was a familiar girl with light green hair.

* * *

 **Author's note: I know what you're thinking, sorry for ending this chapter so abruptly. Originally, I planned this chapter to be longer than 6000 words but the upcoming final exam didn't leave me any choices. After I posted this, I would head straight to the "battlefield" and use everything I have learned so far to win with flying color.(at least I hope so, knowledge is important after all)**

 **Willgm: T** **hanks for listing it.** **Yes, you nearly got them all(There are still more though), the nun is none other than Index from To Aru series. Daigo, the IB and the memory problems are...not quite what you have guessed, but I would say that you are...half right and half wrong (hoho, interesting isn't it?). To tell the truth, I'm a fan of To Aru series, too and I'm happy to see a To Aru fan following my story. These references that I hid are not merely a cameo, it's a preparation for a debut of another fic I have in store. Anyway, I hope you like the scene between the nun and that spiky haired boy in this chapter.**

 **Alright, time to get back to study.**

 **So one again, sorry for the sudden cliffhanger.**

 **After the examination, I will see you guys again...in the next note.**


	22. Chapter 22: Key-Gloomy

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22** **: ~Key_Gloomy~**

Run wiped off the small tear lingered in the corner of her hot pink eyes and stared back inside the now empty bag that laid still on her thighs. Everything inside it has gone, all the food that she brought with her from her homeland has gone. Those bread was her favorite and yet she accidently let most of it felt behind for that violent creature to chew it all up. Although losing those bread wasn't really the reason that brought her to the verge of tear.

Run covered her nose to let out a light snuffle, her eyes slowly became watery and it didn't seem to stop until she wiped away those tiny drop of tears again. After Run successfully got away from Haruna's pet dog, Maron, whom the girl mistakenly saw as a beast, Run went back to the "house" that Ren hid deep on the mountain but once she had finally reached the place, the light green haired soon realized that she has lost the "key" somewhere, the only thing that could help her get into the "house".

Unable to do anything with the predicament and not knowing anything about the place where she was at, Run could only sit here in the small park, letting the gloomy feeling taken over her. This was only her second day at Sainan and a lot of uncomfortable events had already come to her.

Having to run around the town early in the morning to search some stuffs for Ren to help him enroll into Sainan high school.

Having to find herself a difficult time reading all the sign written in a language that she was not yet familiar with.

What frightened and bothered her most was the encounter with that small beast that gave her an insecure sensation around her. Now, alone in a strange place far from her homeland, Run couldn't help but wondered to herself.

Was it a big mistake for her to let Ren travel all the way here to this remote region and meet that princess again?

She had seen it all, everything that happened with Ren during his reunion with the pink haired girl and the way he started up a rivalry competition with the guardian. She also saw how Lala responded to his question after all the efforts he spent into those pointless challenges. Their childhood friend only saw Ren as her closest friend.

Run knew Ren didn't expect to hear that, he didn't aware of how much of an impact those two simple words has left on him.

Run closed her eyes and concentrated on her thought.

….Ren, are you there?

"….."

There was no reply from the alien boy. Run felt worried for him as he has been awfully quiet ever since he left school and switched place with her. He had declared that he would keep challenging the guardian until the last session, but in the end he lost to him.

…Ren, I think maybe we should find another way to go back home, I don't feel safe being here.

"….."

….Ren, are you still sad about what Lala-chan told you? She said you have become more interesting, isn't that a big improvement.

"…"

….Ren…..please don't be like this, answer me.

Run tried to call him many time but it all in vain. She couldn't understand him, was Lala's words that much of a shock to him? What happened to all the confidence he had this morning? What happened to all the romantic speech and bold declaration he spoke in front of his classmates?

Run furrowed her eyes slightly at the silence treatment. Tears started to form once more time in her eyes.

"Idiot Ren, I was right. We shouldn't have come to this planet in the first place."-she murmured while looked down at her feet."And now, we lost our way back, too."

The key that Run lost was a controlling device used to locate her "home" and help her to go out and in the place. Without it, she couldn't do anything besides from calling for help but who should she seek help from? This was one of many isolated planets in the galaxy, a strange place to both her and Ren. They could need help from the Devilukean's princess but right now, Run didn't know it doing that will truly help them, especially with Ren's current condition.

"And why does it have to be Lala-chan, anyway? After all those trouble she made us went through back in our childhood and he still like her."-her soft lip trembled as a small breeze flew past her, her grip on the bag hardened as she tried to hold in the urge to sob."I really don't get you at all, Ren."

…..just why am I have to be in this kind of predicament….

"….um…are you alright…?"

Run startled and looked up with a "heh?" as a voice suddenly came to her ear. Wiping away the tears that were making her eyes blurry, Run widened her eyes when she recognized the boy who stood before her.

Yuuki Rito, who was Lala's mysterious guardian and also the person she accidently bumped into yesterday, scratched his cheek lightly with a finger while his golden-brown eyes directed toward her, a hint of worry clearly showed on his face.

"I hear a sobbing noise so I came here to check."-he asked her in a hesitant tone."If I'm not wrong, w-we did met each other yesterday, right?"

…..he remembers me?

"Yes, we did. Why do you ask?"

"Are you feeling well? When I saw you, I thought you were crying."

Strange…..was the only thing came up in Run's mind after hearing those words. Why was he worrying about her, someone that he only just met the previous day? Was he the typical type to help people in need when they are in trouble?

"I'm fine, it's just that I lost my key house."-Run glanced sideway, feeling sad as she recalled back to the current situation."Right now, I have nowhere else to stay."

"Key house? Do you know when did you lose it?"

Run went deep into her thought, trying her best to remember the moment she was still holding the key in her hand when Ren just switched with her this evening. She must have lost it when she was running away from that small beast as known as Maron.

But where exactly did she drop it?

She ran a long way from the bridge and back to her home, she stumbled a few times so that would be a difficult question to answer.

"I…..probably lost it recently when I was being chased."-she muttered.

"Chase? Who chased you?"-Rito's eyebrow raised at her words.

"Heh?!"-that caught her by surprised, the fact that the orange haired boy could hear it."W-well, there was this small creature and it suddenly came out of nowhere and attacked me so I ran away as fast as I could. That…"-Run shifted her eyes to the ground."That must have been when I have accidently dropped the key."

Rito looked at Run for a moment as something was in his mind. He turned his head, moving his view to the dark forest for a few seconds. Then, he came up with a decision.

"Let's go find your key."

"Huh?"

"It you just dropped it recently then it's must still be there, somewhere along the road."

"You're going to help me?"

"Hm? Well, yes."-he nodded.

"But I'm just a stranger to you, we haven't met that long. You don't need to bother yourself with my trouble."

"Please don't say that, you live in the same town as me, too. Do you not? Sainan people always help each other when in need."-Rito scratched his cheek as he smiled sheepishly." There's nothing wrong for me to offer you a hand."

"You really are a strange person."-Run said, eyeing the boy.

"Uh…..ahaha."-that sheepish smile quickly changed into an awkward chuckle."Oh, sorry for not introduce myself properly, I'm Rito…..Yuuki Rito. I guess this is the second time we meet, huh."

"No, it's the third time actually."-Run fixed his line and put on a thin smile.

"Third?"

"Never mind that."-the light green haired girl stood up from the swing, both hands still held the empty bag."My name is Run…Run Elsie Jewelria, nice to meet you."

Rito widened his eyes slightly once he heard the name of the girl who stood before him.

"Elsie Jewelria?"-let out a light gasp, Rito looked straight into Run's hot pink eyes with his bewildered golden-brown one."Are you…..by any chance…could you be…Ren….?"

"You don't have to be so stunned."-she giggled, feeling a little bit amused by the boy's reaction."Yes, I'm a relative of Ren, we transferred into the same school this morning."

The orange haired boy looked at her in shock, sometime blinking while turning his head back and forth between her and the forest behind him. Watching his action, Run tilted her head a bit as a question mark appeared on her head.

"What's wrong?"

"Um…..may I ask you a question?"-he raised one hand up.

"S-sure."

"Is your house the spaceship lies deep within that forest?"

"Wha….you saw it?!"

The boy simply nodded and told her how he saw a shooting star entering the Earth's orbit and landed near the mountain on a night two days ago, including the moment he went up there to check it to make sure whether it belongs to a candidate or not.

"Then that ship really is yours and Ren?"

"Yup, that ship belongs to ours. Ren decided to let the ship land here at night so we won't gain any unnecessary attentions from the local on this planet. After all, we really don't want to stir up a commotion here as if could violate **the Council's rules**."-Run looked away and nearly sweat dropped as she said half-heartedly."And yet, Ren almost blew ours cover, though."

…so in the end, what I saw was real…..I'm glad.

Rito closed his eyes and let out a small sigh in relief, knowing the fact that those eyes of his didn't deceive him. If Mikan knows this, she won't have to worry about him having hallucination again. While in his train of thought, Rito eyes lit up as he realized an important matter in Run's speech.

"Hold on, you were there in my class?"

"Yes, I was there, I saw and heard everything. Although it surprised me to know that you are Lala-chan's guardian."

"But Honekawa-sensei only introduced Ren."

"Well….."-she trailed off."Right now, I think only one of us in class is good enough."

"I….see."-Rito didn't quite understand what Run meant when she said "only one", but he decided to push back the topic since the unsolved problem of the light green haired girl was still there."So, about the key. If you lost the key and you're here, then where is Ren?"

"That's…"-Run hesitated at the sudden question about Ren, her hot pink eyes darted everywhere on the ground as if she was finding some words to put up an answer in fluster." Ren is…..he is kind of not in the mood, at least I haven't heard anything from him ever since he left school."

"So…you don't know where he is?"

"It's not that I don't know, it's just that he isn't here with me."-Run spoke in a nervous tone, didn't know how to express the words in her mind."It's hard to explain."

Rito slowly nodded as he noticed the hesitation in her voice. Seeing the girl was having difficult to talk about Ren, Rito dropped the topic.

"….if you say so, let's go find your key first then."-Rito said and turned around but stopped midway."Oh, I almost forgot, can you tell me more about this small beast that you encountered?"

"It's small, it has black and white fur mixes together and a big mouth."

There was a pause and silence filled the air.

"Oh! And it has two big round eyes, too."-the girl continued.

…that's vague….

Rito sweat dropped at the way Run described the beast a.k.a Maron the pet dog that everyone knows. It was awfully vague but since Run was also an alien, Rito knew it couldn't be help.

"It also has a small tail, a really short one and two pointy ears."

"J-Jewelria-san, let's put aside the appearance for now. Do you know why it chased after you?"

"I don't really know."-Run showed him the empty bag."I'm not sure why but it seemed to attach to the food I brought with me."

The orange haired boy took the bag and looked inside. Immediately, he froze on the spot as a strong sweet aroma hit his sense of smell.

….hm? This sweet smell…..

Rito stayed silent for a few seconds. Eventually, an idea came to his head.

"I think I know what chased you."

"Really?"-Run asked in surprise.

"Considering how strong the smell is, it must have been a dog or a cat that after you for the food inside this bag. Their sense of smell are really strong so they must have reacted to this. Don't worry about it, they are harmless animals on this planet. But be careful not to tease them too much, some of them are not good with stranger."

"I see."

Rito nodded again with a thin smile on his face then he stared back at the bag. Run gazed at him, blinking as she didn't know why he suddenly got silent again. His golden-brown eyes strangely gleamed a hint of emotion that Run felt familiar by looking at it. It felt like…

It felt like he was nostalgic.

"Here."

Run startled slightly as he stretched out his hand toward and handed her the bag. She took it and the boy turned to the side, pointing his finger at an alleyway.

"Alright, let's go find your key, Jewelria-san. Do you-"

"It's Run."

"…?"

"Call me Run."-she smiled.

"..o…okay….Run-san."

"No, drop the honorific. You don't need to be so formal."-she pouted cutely but smiled afterward.

"…b-but…"-Rito stuttered as he didn't know how to respond to that.

But the girl kept pushing, really determined to make him call her first name.

"No but…..It's R.u.n."

"…R-Run. Do you still remember where did the dog or cat chased you?"

"Of course I still remember. It was so frightened that I want to forget about it."-that bright smile on her lip faded away as Run shuddered and hugged both her arms.

Rito chuckled softly and turned his back to her as he started to walk on ahead. Run followed behind with her gaze fixed on the boy's back.

The alien girl didn't know why but for some reasons, she was starting to feel both curious and interesting in the orange haired boy despite she had never cared about this in the beginning. As they were talking, the gloomy emotion in her soon disappeared and she felt relax just by spoken to him and amused by his reaction. Perhaps knowing the fact that he was the mysterious guardian of her childhood friend, whom the entire galaxy is doing their best to dig up whatever information they could find about him, was putting her at ease. Either way, she couldn't really tell but now she did know that the guardian was a good natured person and an honest type at that, a little bit strange, too.

…..Yuuki Rito, Lala-chan's guardian and Ren's rival. I guess I'm beginning to grow more curious about you now.

….

"It's not here."

"It's not here either."

The two was walking on the bridge, turning their head around multiple time to search for Run's lost key. However, the chance to find it was still very dim. As if to make their search become more difficult, the cloud slowly approached and hindered the moon light from lighting up every dark spot in the town. Now, Run couldn't even see the mountain clearly like before as her view has become darker.

The light green haired girl placed both hands on the rails and looked down at the bottom of the bridge where water are streaming peacefully.

…..I hope my key isn't down there.

"I don't think the key would be down there."

Rito spoke while he also looked down at the river which made Run startled a bit since he just said what was in her mind.

"You can tell what I think?"

"Heh?"-he blinked at her and scratched his cheek nervously."N-no, it's just that you looked worrying when I saw you stare at the river below. W-was I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong."

"I see."

"But still, we have been searching for a while now and we haven't found the key yet."-Run let out a small sigh.

Rito didn't say anything and he just stared at Run in silence, the boy tilted his head to the side and aimed his gaze at many alleyways from both side of the bridge.

"Run, where else did you ran to when you leave this bridge?"

Still leaning on the rails, Run quickly straightened her posture and pointed at one of the alleyways that lead her to the mountain.

"Over there, I rushed into one of those paths and got stumbled a little."

"You were stumbled?"

"I-It's not like I wanted to."-Run blushed out of embarrassment."I was trying to get away from that dog or cat as soon as possible."

"We need to search there then."

The two rushed off to the said alleyways and started another search. Eventually, Run found the key, which was a small hand-held device with several buttons on it, lying next to all those garbage bags where her feet stumbled over from earlier.

"I found it! The key is here!"-Run smiled happily now that she could go back to her ship again.

Rito just chuckled lightly at the sight, glad that the girl has got back what she lost. However, while the joyful moment went on, neither him nor Run could predict what will happen next when the girl rubbed the device to her cheek in a happy, relieve way.

There was dust everywhere on the device, Run was so caught up in her overflowing happiness emotion that she didn't notice it started to flow out. Until the incoming urge to sneeze rang an alarm bell in her mind.

"Heh!...ha..ah."-Run pinched her nose to prevent herself from letting out a sneeze.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop it.

"Achoo!"

Smoke burst out from everywhere in the air and covered the alien girl. Rito startled as he stared at the sight in shock, the guardian had no idea what just happened.

"Where are these smoke come from? Run, are you alright?!"

Feeling worry, He hurriedly went into the smoke with one hand waving rapidly around him to clear out the smoke from his vision.

As it slowly faded, the figure of a person was revealed in the remaining part of the mist. Rito grabbed the figure's hand and dragged the person out from the smoke.

Soon, the boy froze like a rock when he saw the person's face.

It was Ren in a girl cloth.

Ren also stared back at Rito with the same look on his face.

Both were so stunned, so shock and so speechless that no one couldn't utter a single word, their eyes didn't even blink and kept directing at each other in pure silence.

With a few seconds passed, their mouth opened in a tardy pace, trembling, gasping like they were watching a horror movie.

Later on, the still of the night soon broke by two terrified screams.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

 **Author's note: Yeahhhhhhh, I'm finally back with the story. And wow! Over 5000 views! My eyes starting to get teary right now, thank you for all the support you gave this story.  
**

 **This chapter was written in a rush so there wasn't much I could express in this note but anyway, I hope you like the Rito/Run moment.**

 **Review this chapter if you please and I'll see you guys in the next one.**


	23. Chapter 23: Earth-Moon-Stars

**Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23** **: ~Earth_Moon_Stars~**

Rito was staring at a ceiling painted in white with his dazing golden-brown eyes. The circle ball of light that was hanging on the wall above his head didn't seem to dazzle him much as he shifted his eyes to it. From the look on his face, one could tell that he was trying to progress an image in his mind. An image of an event that brought so much shock and horror to him.

Witnessing Ren wearing a girl's clothe was a really hurtful sight for the eyes. After the two had let out a horrified scream like their life depended on it, Ren immediately ran toward the forest where his home located with his hand still grip Rito's arm tightly. Neither one of the boys was aware of that as Ren was too panicked to think straight and Rito wasn't out of shock.

And it turned out the spaceship was equipped with a cover that could be made invisible to the eyes to avoid unnecessary attraction. No wonder why he couldn't find it.

At the moment, the orange haired boy was still stunned as he sat on a comfortable sofa placed in the middle of a big room. So stun that not even the whistling sound of steam coming from a boiling teakettle nearby could distract him.

Until a voice spoke up.

"Here, have some tea."-Ren said as he placed two cups of tea on the table and calmly sat next to Rito.

"T-thank you."-the boy stammered a bit at the sudden offer, finally snapped out of his thought.

Ren nodded and he didn't say anything else, the partial white haired boy just grabbed his own cup and drank it in silence. Rito also held up his tea cup and sip a small amount of the drink, his eyes kept darting back and forth between the alien boy and the cup in his hand.

Despite the grassy yet delicious flavor was spreading in his mouth, the orange haired boy couldn't help but feel uneasy instead of actually enjoying it. The calm atmosphere lingered around the room also didn't help him much in making this circumstance any better.

It was so awkward.

After drinking nearly half of the cup, Ren put it down while he let out a sigh of satisfaction. Still holding the warm tea cup in his hand, the orange haired boy turned his head slightly to look at him, wondering what he was going to do next. As he did that, his gaze soon met a brief glare from Ren.

"Yuuki Rito."-the alien boy called him in an unnaturally stern voice."You saw it, didn't you? About what happened back then."

Rito averted his eyes a bit and looked back at the tea cup where his reflected image was shown on the drink's surface. The boy remained silent as he didn't know how to respond to that question.

"I see."

Then, Ren went all silent again and looked down on his feet, letting the bangs covered his upper face. Rito started to sweat drop at the calm reaction Ren gave him. Suddenly, the partial white haired boy grabbed his collar and pulled him close to his face which made the guardian paled.

"T-that was not what it looked like!"-Ren spoke out loud in panic, the composed attitude he had from earlier has vanished instantly."I didn't wear girl's clothe because I want to! It was a really difficult situation for me so forget every single image you have installed in that head of yours, Yuuki Rito!"

"C-Calm down! I haven't said anything!"-Rito raised both hands and waved frantically.

"But you are definitely thinking that I'm a pervert, aren't you?!"-Ren's tightened his grip on the boy's collar, his eyes became a bit watery.

"No, I'm not! I'm just so shocked and scared at the same time! How do you expect me to react when I saw Run switched place with you?!"

"Run…?"-Ren widened his eyes for a second then he frowned with a vein popped out on his forehead."How dare you call my sister by her first name! Since, where and when?!"

"Before I helped her find that key! And she told me to call her like that!"-Rito answered while he pointed at the device on the table in front of the two.

"That's not the issue, the important thing is how dare can you say Run's name so nonchalantly like that without my permission?!"-Ren shook the orange haired boy violently, right now the alien boy has a mixed feeling between angry and wanting to cry.

"Don't be like that! We are classmates and we study in the same school, aren't we? You forced me to call you by your first name and how come she's not. And more importantly…"-having enough with this topic, Rito pushed Ren away from him and pointed at the girly dress he was still wearing."Change your clothes for me, please! Seeing you up close in that dress is terrified enough as it is!"

"Huh?"-Ren looked down and he gasped in horror."Oh no, I forgot!"

The partial white haired boy immediately sprinted into his room like a launching rocket and the automatic door shut tight behind him. Rito stared at the door in wonder.

Just how can he forgot such a critical fact?

Deciding that it would be best to ignore the matter at hand, the orange haired boy went back to drink tea and take a good look around the interior furniture in the spaceship. For some reason, it was oddly similar to what an Earthling has except for those advancing equipment installed on the wall and some of the artifacts that he had never seen before. The room, the big TV, the table, the carpet near the door, the sofa and even the kitchen also gave out a similar vibe that when he looked at it, he felt like he was in a house that was built by the same people here on Earth, not by alien. At some points, it made him comfortable just by looking at it.

As Rito let himself absorbed in the familiar aura around the ship in silence, the automatic door that lead into Ren's room opened and the alien boy walked out with Run's dress, which was neatly folded and hanging on his arm. Hearing the sound of the door, Rito turned to look at Ren and he was surprised a little bit by the outfit Ren was wearing. At first he thought the alien boy would wear something alien-ish like the one that Lala always wears when she was in dress mode with Peke's help, but it seemed he was wrong.

Ren was wearing a black jean and a white t-shirt with dark color pattern on both sleeves. It was a pretty casual type of clothe that an Earthling like Rito would often wear.

Putting his sister's dress inside a tray next to the bathroom, Ren returned and sat on the spot next to Rito again.

"Sorry, my people has a tradition to pour drink for guests whenever their come to our house."-the partial white haired boy let out a small cough to regain composure from the awkward moment earlier."I was trained to do this when I was young so it's in my blood now. Again, sorry for making you see a horrible sight."

Rito's golden-brown eyes went wide at the honest apology Ren gave him. Considering for what had happened this morning at school, Rito had an impression of Ren as someone who always yearn for winning and stubborn. However, right now seeing a different side of Ren really took him by surprise.

…..he really is a good person after all.

"Well, I'm partly at fau-"

"Wait! Why do I have to apologize to you twice? You're also partly at fault, too."

Ren said which interrupting the guardian's words. Rito sweat dropped and gave the alien boy a blank stare, asking himself if he should take that thought back or not.

….

Memorzorian, a race well known in the galaxy for their unique trait called gender swapping. It was said that due to the difficult environment they were living in, an evolution has taking place so their body could adapt to the harsh condition in their home world, Memorze. Normally, a Memorzorian was born with both male's gender and female's gender within one body and has separate personalities. In other words, a body with two souls, usually, this unique trait automatically changes their gender and personalities through an exchange period of about a month or a week.

"I don't understand, if this trait is automatic then how can you and Run switch place continuously in one day?"-Rito asked Ren after listening to his explanation about the special feature of his own race.

"To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure of it."-putting down the tea cup, Ren crossed his arms as he leaned back."But I guess the difference in the environment between here and my planet could be one of the reasons why Run and I can change place so easily with just a sneeze. This had never happened before though."

"I see."-the guardian simply nodded and went back to sip his tea."It makes sense."

Noticing the boy's reaction, a curiousness flared up within Ren which made him raised an eyebrow at Rito.

"Hm, even though you are an Earthling, you don't seem much surprised at this, Yuuki Rito."

"Huh?"-the boy jumped lightly at his statement."W-what do you mean?"

"For a race that lives among remote regions in the galaxy and has no interactions with others, you sure are calm about this."-Ren nodded in satisfaction."Well, if you weren't, you wouldn't be able to protect Lala-chan this long after all. I expect no less from my rival."

"You still see me as a rival?"-Rito sweat dropped.

"Of course, since you are the only person that the emperor of Deviluke and Zastin have acknowledged to be Lala-chan's guardian. I will need to surpass you to prove to her that I have become a real man."

"….."

"Before I came here, I have asked Zastin everything about you. What kind of person are you, which race you belong to, your strength, your manliness, I asked him everything. However, in the end he refused to tell me about you as doing that could violate the rules of the trail that the Devilukean's king has created for all the candidates."-Ren's hands slowly formed into a fist form."Which is true, everyone who is Lala's candidate will have to play by those rules to marry her."

Suddenly, the partial white haired boy stood up from his seat and looked down at Rito who was a bit surprised by his act. His hot pink eyes were full of determination.

"But let me tell you this, Yuuki Rito. I have no intention of going along with those rules of the Devilukean's emperor."

"…?!"

"Because I'm not planning to marry Lala as a potential inheritor of the Deviluke Empire, I'm going to marry her as the prince of planet Memorze."-Ren spoke in an honest tone as his eyes fixed on Rito. This was no laughing matter, this was the resolution Ren has come up from long ago and he was serious."I don't care about Deviluke's property nor its position in the galaxy, I will bring happiness to Lala-chan and I'll make her an official member in our royal family."

"You mean…you will go against Lala's father and all of the candidates to marry her?"

"That's right! I will do it and I'll free Lala-chan from all this ridiculous candidate marriage arrangements that the emperor has forced her into."-Ren waved his hand, stressing every words he spoke."Call me naïve if you want. I truly love her and this is what I actually aim for from the beginning."

Rito was completely astonished by Ren's declaration. Unlike any other candidates that he had encountered in the past, Ren bore no ill will, he was truthful and straightforward with his resolve. He has never aimed for the Deviluke's thorn and only wanted to marry Lala not as a candidate but as a person that truly wants to bring freedom and happiness the Devilukean's princess.

"However, in order to take one step closer to Lala-chan, I need to defeat you, the guardian in the rumor."

Ren suddenly grabbed Rito's collar with both hands and pulled him up which caught Rito by surprise once more.

"You are the only obstacle that I must break though so that Lala's attention will be drawn toward me!"-for some reasons, Rito could feel the shaking from Ren's grasp on his collar."With my manliness, I'm sure I could deal with everything you throw at me! I am definitely more manly than you!"

Before he met his childhood friend, he has come up with a lot of possible scenarios of how the pink haired girl would react to him and how he could deal with the situation, making it more romantic as much as he could. In a bright, sparkled, dreamy atmosphere, Lala would come to him with her arms stretch out and give him a big hug. And Ren simply returned the hug and lifted her face up, looked straight into her teary, beautiful green eyes to say some cool line like "I came back to you, Lala-chan.". His plan was something like that.

However….

… _ **.I think Ren-chan is a really good friend….**_

Slowly, Ren's vision got blurry a bit as his eyes started to become watery. Those words that Lala spoke to him this morning came back to his mind.

"And yet….and yet it seems so impossible to me….after all those efforts I put in the challenges, I still lost to you…."-a dark, depressing aura began to form around Ren while he looked down on the floor."…..even Lala-chan had forgot about me…and only see me as a friend…...I don't understand…."

"…..R-Ren, calm down."-Rito tried to ease him but Ren ignored his words.

Besides from all the challenges, Ren also noticed something which confused him even more during the time at school. When they both were competing, which only Ren thought that, Rito was always the only image that reflected in Lala's eyes instead of him. Why didn't Lala acknowledge his manliness?

"Just why?! Why can't I win against you and why were you the only one that Lala looked at, Yuuki Rito?! Tell me, you must have some kind of secret to make you manlier than I am, don't you?!"-Ren tightened his grip on the boy's clothe and shook him in an impatient manner, his eyes looked somewhat desperate."Please share your secret with me! What should I do to be like you?!"

Not wanting to let Ren in this state any further, Rito grabbed both his hands and pushed him away to stop the shaking.

"Just calm down!"-he said loudly while stared directly into Ren's bewildered eyes."Look, you got it all wrong to begin with. This has nothing to do with manliness or anything of the sort. I already told you from the beginning, challenging me doesn't mean that Lala will accept you. Also, forcing someone else into fighting or competing with you won't prove your manliness, it'll only prove your stubbornness."

Ren froze and gasped in utter shock once he heard that. Now he cursed himself why he didn't realize that sooner. All this time on Earth he was acting like an idiot just to get attention from Lala. Such a fatal mistake he had made.

"I see….. I am a man and yet I had been acting like a fool this entire morning."-as if strength has left his leg, Ren let himself fall onto the sofa. The alien boy then hugged his knees and buried his face into it, holding his tears in."Unbelievable, just what am I doing with the efforts I spent all those years?"

Seeing Ren suddenly became so weak-willed, Rito felt nervous and looked at him in worried, wondering if his last statement was too harsh on him. It wasn't Rito intention to drive him into this state, he just want Ren to pull himself together but apparently it seemed to have backfired on him.

Well, only him thought that.

And now he discovered another side of Ren that he didn't expect the partial white haired boy would have. Ren was an emotional person, a really emotional one at that.

"H-hey, you don't have to be so pessimistic."

Ren didn't reply nor made any gesture to show that he was listening to Rito. He just sat there, hugging his knees in silence and depressed.

"….I…..I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that,"-Rito scratched his cheek lightly and started sitting back on the spot next to Ren.

"No, you were right, Yuuki Rito."-the partial white haired boy mumbled, his voice was loud enough for Rito to hear."I'm stubborn. It's impossible for me to have a place in Lala's heart."

"…..Ren, that's not what I meant. What's wrong with you? Earlier, you were so serious about saving Lala from all the candidates and now you look so down."

"I'm not sad, I'm angry at myself."-Ren lifted up his face and glared at the boy with those teary eyes of him.

"But your eyes-"

"I'm not crying! Why do I have to cry! This is just merely my sweat so don't you misunderstand me!"-even though he said that, he still rubbed his eyes and snuffled like he was about to just like that nickname that Lala gave him."I am the most manly of all men, there is no way I would shed tears like that!"

"Here, just wipe it."-Rito grabbed a tissue box near there and placed it next to Ren."Tears or not, you shouldn't leave it on your face, it makes people think you are sad."

"I told you I'm not sad…"-Ren's voice slowly trailed off as he felt a small drip of water streamed down his cheek.

No more word was spoke, silence filled the room. Ren reached out for the tissue and wiped away those salty water in the corner of his eyes. In a short moment, Rito noticed his hands trembled slightly like he was trying to choke back his tear as best as he could.

"Ren, can I ask you something?"-the orange haired boy asked in a soft tone.

"…."

"Why did you suddenly ran away this afternoon?"

After a long pause, Ren turned his head away from Rito so the orange haired boy could only see the back of his head.

"I…really am pathetic, am I."

"…..?"

"Before I came to this planet, I spent a huge amount of time to learn and study about the languages, the cultures and the people here. I worked hard days and nights, trying to improve myself so when I meet Lala again after many years, I hoped that my manly figure would be reflected in her eyes."

But he failed.

"I was never good at fighting nor raising my fist against others so I challenged you with every activities that we normally do in our daily life."

And yet he failed.

"And yet I still lost to you, so frustrating."-Ren's voice was shaking.

"But it's only the first day. Besides, Lala hasn't said who won yet."

"I know that."-Ren turned to Rito."And I decided that I wasn't going to give up even if I had lost to you either. But it seems so impossible to me now."

"Ren, do you really think that because of what Lala said to you?"

"No….not really, although I'm kind of hurt when Lala-chan's perspective about me is still the same. But even so, it wasn't her fault, it was my to begin with."

Considering how much worked up he was. Trying so hard to win all the challenges but lost in the end was something that he never expected to happen nor wanted. Lala was not the one at fault, she just spoke what was truly in her mind. Besides, they only met again for one day after many years. Just how did he think Lala would look at him so soon in that short amount of time?

Ren was just way too hasty for wanting to beat his rival.

"Then…..what you mean when you said it's impossible to you?"

Ren didn't give any answer to him, instead the alien boy stretched his hand toward the key on the table and pressed a button on it. The room turned dark and the ceiling suddenly disappeared like it became invisible, revealing the whole night sky filled with many shining stars and the moon. The two boys looked up, let the moon casted it light on their eyes as they watched it slowly appeared behind the drifting cloud.

"I….really envy of you, Yuuki Rito."-Ren smiled bitterly as he spoke.

"Huh?"-Rito turned his view to Ren, both eyes widened in surprise.

"Since Lala-chan has already had her eyes on you, I don't think I can have any chance of making her to look at me anymore."

"…Ren…."-came a small voice from the orange haired boy, Ren tilted his head slightly to look at him."Don't you think you are exaggerating? I'm just a guardian, how can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm her childhood friend."-he simply replied."Don't underestimate me, Yuuki Rito. Just because we had parted for years, it doesn't mean I had forgot about her personality. Yeah, time changes people, but I know that Lala-chan is still the same girl with full of high spirit back in ours childhood. She hasn't changed much."

"…I see…"

"And….."-Ren paused for a second."There is also one thing that I know very well about Lala-chan when we were playing together. Once she has showed interest in something, she will never give up until she has finally reached it. Once she has liked something, she will cherish it deeply."

"…."

"Do you understand now, Yuuki Rito? During ours competition, Lala always looked at you instead of me."

…then that means….

Rito shifted his eyes to the sky, eyeing something that far beyond the dark horizon. Yes, he finally understood.

The reason why Ren ran away when school ended and why he was so downcast.

The reason why Lala always clinging to him despite he has rejected her confession.

He hoped he was wrong but what Ren said has made it so clearly for him to notice now.

It means….

…

…..Lala still…..

….. _ **Ks!**_

….Lala...still….

…. _ **Kkksks!**_

….Lala….still likes m _ **[KKKKsskskskskkkkskksksksksskKKSKSKsSSskskskskskskskskskskkskskssskskkkkssssskkskssSSSkksKskskskkskssssss!]**_

….

…

…

"W-what's wrong, Yuuki Rito?"

Ren stammered as he was startled by the suddenly jolt from the orange haired boy who was shutting his eyes tightly with one hand rubbing his head. The frown on his face was clearly visible to see. Not receiving any respond from him, Ren leaned in closer to check the boy, wondering what happened that made him has that kind of expression. As the partial white haired boy was about to move his feet next, the asked guardian raised his hand in front of Ren, giving him the sign "stop".

"Yuuki Rito, your hand is trembling."-Ren told him with worry hinted in his voice."Are you sure you're alright?"

"It's n-nothing, I'm fine."-Rito shook his head a bit before looking back at Ren."W-where were we?"

Feeling his respond was uncertain, Ren fixed his gaze on him for a few seconds and Rito also gave him back a questioning look. Eventually, the alien boy decided to let this go.

"For a second, I thought something was wrong with you there. Don't make me worry like that, Yuuki Rito."-Ren let out a small sigh."If you are feeling sick or something similar, I can give you some medicines that I brought with me from Memorze. You are Lala-chan's guardian so be sure to keep your health in a good shape."

Rito widened his eyes in shock as he heard that. Ren noticed this and sweat dropped, feeling somewhat uncomfortable by his stare.

"W-what?"

"Ren, you really are a nice person."-the orange haired boy smiled as he spoke.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"-tick mark appeared on Ren's head."Yuuki Rito, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance…..…wait, why does that sounds like I'm insulting my own appearance? You! You set me up by making me think ill of myself, didn't you?!"

"I'm not! I'm just saying what I really thinking!"-Rito retorted."This morning you was so full of confidence and the way you challenged me rapidly made me think that you was a person who always thirst for winning. But now seeing you like this is really shocking to me, alright?! You're like a total different person!"

Ren's eyebrows raised at the boy's words. Rito thought that the alien boy would retort back to him but it didn't seem to happen since Ren just looked at him…in dumbfound.

"Thirst for winning…."-Ren repeated the word while he pointed a finger at himself."You mean me?"

Rito blinked, not knowing why he asked that but nodded afterward.

"….."

"….."

The atmosphere went silent.

"….."

"…unbelievable…"

All of a sudden, Ren hugged his knees and buried his face in it again with a dark, depressing aura surrounded him. Anime tears rolled down his cheek as he cried comically.

…w-what the…..! He got depressed again?!

"I can't believe it, so that was how you saw at me huh."

"S-sorry, you were challenging me non-stop this entire morning so….."-Rito trailed off while looked away, scratching his cheek."That was my first impression of you."

"My rival think of me as an antagonist, how come things turn out this way?"

Now Ren just earned a dumbfound stare from the guardian.

"You mean you didn't want me to think of you that way?"

"I tried to challenge you over and over through ours normal activities because I know it would be fair for both of us. If I were to pick a fight with you, I didn't think it would settle everything. Even if there's a huge difference in our strength, we don't always use strength or brute force to solve problem."-Ren grabbed the tissue box and wiped his face."And I told you before, didn't I? I was never good at raising my fist against others so I avoided that aspect as much as possible."

Comparing to Earthling, Memorzorian is far more superior in both strength and stamina. Ren aware of this fact when he was studying every pieces of information he could find about the race that was currently the ruler of planet Earth. Back then, Ren still didn't know if the guardian was an Earthling or not so the partial white haired boy tried to come up with something in which both him and the guardian could participate and fight equally, something that didn't relate to power. To fight like a real man, Ren didn't want neither of the two has the upper advantages right from the start, the battle should be fair for both. And daily life activities was what he finally came up with. Ren was sure that if he could do things better than the guardian, he could draw Lala's attention to himself.

In the end, he did do things a little better than Rito since he was too enthusiastic at the moment. However, the result was totally not what he expected and this predicament was how it turned out.

Ren sneezed into the tissue as he continued.

"After all, bad people don't deserve to be called manly. I don't want Lala-chan to think of me as a person like that and it goes the same to you. I want to compete fair and square with you, trying to prove to you and Lala-chan that I can become someone who is manly and reliable, someone who could surpass you to be able to protect her. But I guess I have been going overboard this entire time."

As Ren crumbled the tissue, Rito looked around the room to find a trash can. Noticing a small one under the table, he took and passed it to Ren.

"Oh, thanks."-Ren threw the tissue tainted with his "manly" tears in the trash can and put it away.

Although the two boys just did it unconsciously without realizing it, neither of them felt bothered by their own act.

...

"Hm."

Staring at the ticking clock, Lala hum softly while she placed a finger to her cheek, seeming to think about something or someone in her mind.

"Ne Mikan-chan, it's almost dinner now and Rito hasn't come home yet."-the pink haired girl turned to look at Mikan, who was preparing foods in the kitchen."What's taking him so long?"

"Rito's probably still around on the mountain, he still believes that spaceship he saw yesterday is real so he went up there again to find it."-Mikan stopped cutting the vegetable with a short knife in hand, the little sister sighed before she continued."Well, if he couldn't find it this time then I will need to force him not to stay up late again."

Ito, who was reading his novel on a couch next to Lala, raised his eyes slightly as Mikan's statement came into his ears.

"What do you mean you will force him not to stay up late?"-the brown haired boy lowered the book and looked at Mikan's back.

"Isn't it obvious, if Rito saw that ship but he couldn't find it, wouldn't that mean he was having a hallucination?"

"But Mikan, I don't think staying up late would relate to his "sickness"."-Ito spoke as he closed the book and put it on the table.

"How can you be so sure?"-Mikan turned around to look at him with a hint of curious in her eyes.

"It's…."-Ito paused for a moment like he was trying to put in the right word for the explanation.

However, he found it difficult to do so, because he knew well about the "sickness" that his brother was having. If he was to tell her and explain everything, both Mikan and Lala would not believe him.

That's just how it is. How mysterious and troublesome the "sickness" that is haunting Yuuki Rito like misfortune always hanging on a certain spiky haired boy's neck.

"It's….just my hunch."-Ito averted his eyes away from Mikan, such a mistake he had made to argue with her about this topic.

"A hunch you say."-the little sister stared at him with half-opened eyes, there was no way she could be convinced by such a reason."Come to think of it, you also stay up late almost every night, don't you Ito?"

Ito jolted slightly at the cold stare the youngest Yuuki member in the house was giving him.

"N-no, not every night, I j-just stay up late sometime to do some works."

"Like reading novel?"-her tone was full of suspicious.

"W-well, that's one of the reasons."-the boy answered, still not dare to look back at Mikan.

Mikan fixed her gaze on the brown haired boy for a moment and let out a small sigh.

"Honestly, you and Rito, why are you two so alike to the point that you even share the same bad habit?"

"Mikan, it's that a compliment? It's a compliment, right?"-the boy chuckled awkwardly.

"Can't you tell?"-the little sister said half-heartedly, starting to feel somewhat irritated by her idiotic brother."Ito, I'm serious here, staying up late is not good for your health."

Ito's chuckling stopped as Mikan looked directly into his eyes while frowning. True to what she said, the younger sister was serious about this. She cared deeply for both him and the other big brother, and just by staring at the look on her face Ito could tell that she was worried not only the staying up late issue but also Rito's hallucination problem.

"Sorry, I'll keep that to a minimum."-Ito rubbed the back of his head as he reached the novel on the table and he stood up."And I'll try to convince Rito not to stay up late too much, too."

Mikan nodded and a thin smile slid across her face after hearing those earnest lines from Ito. The young girl glad to see her brother understands the troublesome habit of them, little by little, it made her feels less anxious.

Lala looked back and forth between the two as she was listening their conversation, the girl didn't get some of the parts though.

"I have a question."-Lala raised her hand up and cheerfully said, getting their attentions."Why does Rito always stay up late?"

"It's because of his hobby, Lala-san."-Mikan explained."Rito likes to gaze at the sky especially at night, the time when all the stars up there shine the brightest."

"Heh~, but what's so special about it, about stargazing?"

"I don't really know much about it, Lala-san, since I have no interest in it."-the little sister placed a finger to her chin as she recalled a memory."But if I remember correctly, Rito has had this hobby before he entered Sainan high school, I'm not sure why though."

The young girl started to shift her eyes toward the brown haired boy, Lala also did the same as she turned her head to look at him, waiting for an answer. Ito noticed their eyes were directed at him but he didn't say anything, for a short moment, he just stood there and rubbed his head.

Before Rito and Ito went into high school, a lot of events had happened to both of them and the Yorozuya. During that time, Ito was the one who always near Rito so Mikan believed that he must have known the reason why her orange haired brother would have this kind of hobby.

It was strange though, because the little sister still remembered that time so clearly. The time before Rito went into high school, he had zero interest in stargazing.

"Well, all I can say for sure is….."-the boy casted his gaze to the green yard outside as he spoke."Rito doesn't look up the sky all the time for no reason."

"…."

"But I guess it really becomes his hobby now."

"I see."-Lala muttered."But Ito, do you know why Rito likes it?"

"…it's…."

Ito opened his mouth to say something after a pause. Suddenly, the creaking sound of the door opened echoed outside the room which interrupted them. Thinking that Rito has come home, Lala happily ran out the living room to greet him.

"Rito~, you're…..back?"

Or so she thought.

Instead of the orange haired boy, it was Zastin the Devilukean's commander who stood in front of her with another person. For some reason, his face was serious. Lala moved her eyes to the figure who stood behind Zastin and her emerald green eyes slowly widened.

"….you're….."

Didn't hear any reply, Ito and Mikan walked out of the room to see what happened. The little sister blinked at Zastin and the other figure while Ito narrowed his eyes slightly as he had a pretty good idea of who that person was.

And he wasn't wrong.

"It has been a while, my princess Lala."

….

* * *

 **-Music 06: PianoX3 composed by Hiroyuki Sawano.**

* * *

Piercing through the calmness of the forest at night, the moon light continued to light up the room inside a space ship where sat two young students on a long sofa. Rito and Ren fixed their gazes at the white planet, keeping silent as no more word were exchanged between them.

After displaying the comically overreacting state, Ren has finally calmed himself down a little and let the atmosphere once more filled with quietness while the orange haired boy just stared at the sky, watching the sparkling stars like he always do in this time of the day.

For some reasons, Ren felt his mind has become a bit lighter and clearer than before. He didn't know why he felt this way. But perhaps thanks to the emotional outburst from earlier that Ren has eventually be able to let out all of the innermost feelings that has been built within him throughout all those years, the time that he spent and worked so hard to achieve manliness.

Briefly stole a glance at Rito, Ren shifted his hot pink eyes back to the glittered horizon. There were so many things about this orange haired boy that he couldn't understand.

"Hey….Yuuki Rito….."-the partial white haired boy spoke in a soft tone."What do you think of the Earth and its moon?"

"…..?"-Rito tilted his head a bit at the question from the alien boy.

"The moon is always there, clearly as day and yet you can't reach it from here."-Ren stretched his arm toward the moon, his palm formed into a grip.

"…"

"It's always close to you, floating around in an unchangeable distance."-formed a touch of sadness in his voice.

It was strange of Ren to suddenly mentioning the moon and planet Earth, but the orange haired boy had a feeling that he didn't really talk about those planets. It was just a reference, he knew what Ren was trying to say and addressing.

… _ **like the Earth and its moon, we are close to each other…**_

…he was talking about the relationship between him and Lala.

"Ironic, isn't it? It close to each other but it couldn't never be together."-Ren lowered his arm and looked down at his feet."Now that Lala-chan has had her eyes on you, I don't think I will have any more chance to be together with her."

Shortly after finishing that statement, Ren startled out of the blue and rubbed his head, sweat dropped for some reasons.

"What's wrong?"

"R-Run just scolded me for making her worry."

"She can hear us?"

"She is awake in my subconscious right now."-Ren explained and soon startled again."Gah! I'm sorry Run, I won't let you be alone again so please stop yelling in my head!"

There was another special feature of the Memorzorian. As they switches place, their counterpart will remain deep within their subconsciousness and when they want to communicate to each other, telepathy was the only way.

The orange haired boy kept quiet as he watched Ren talking to Run, who was now fully awake inside his mind.

Feeling all the noises inside his head has stopped, the alien boy let out a sigh in relief.

"What did Run say to you?"

"She told me to quit being over-emotional and stop jumping into conclusion while I still don't get the full picture of the matter."-Ren hang his head in depressed and sighed."Why do I keep making mistake? Am I missing something or I'm still not manly enough?"

"I don't think what she said relates to manliness"-Rito turned his view to the night sky as he said."But asides from that, I think Run's right, you should get over with the matter at hand, Ren."

"What?"-Run looked back to him, eyes opened wide.

"Even though you had stopped being overreacting, you're still feeling sad about what Lala said to you."-the boy leaned his back against the sofa since now he realized the moon was on top of their head."And I don't get it, after all those years Lala still see you as her best friend, a relationship like that will never be easy to severe so shouldn't you be happy about it instead of worrying too much."

"Like I said, I love Lala-chan so I don't want to stay at the spot where you people call it….what was it called in Earthling language again?"-Ren crossed his arms and tried to recall the word."Oh, right! I don't want to be in the cursed part of a love relationship that called friend zone."

Hearing that word, Rito darted his golden-brown eyes to Ren, staring at him in slight amazement.

"I'm not sure I'm familiar with that term but I'm impressed, you really did study ours language through and through."

Ren was slightly startled by the compliment at first but then he wiped his nose and a confident smile flashed across his face.

"Well, of course I did. I worked hard to prove my manliness to Lala-chan and you after all. I wouldn't call myself a man if I didn't prepare well enough for this."

At this moment, a chuckled was heard from Rito which made Ren raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Look at you, a while ago you was so depressed and emotional but now you're smiling and lively just like this morning. Lala was right, you really are an interesting individual."

"Yuuki Rito, am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"-Ren asked skeptically.

"It is a compliment."

Ren blinked at the guardian, unsure how to react with his reply. This boy just confused him to no end. With the way he acted this morning and the reaction he gave out, Ren found it difficult to know what the orange haired boy is thinking inside his head.

Eventually, he shrugged it off and turned his eyes back to the moon along with Rito.

"Say, Yuuki Rito, if you were to compare yourself to one of the things above the sky, what will you choose?"

"Why do you ask that all of sudden?"-the boy turned to him, slightly surprised by the question.

"Just answer me."

"Well, if I were to choose…"-Rito slowly raised his arm up but stopped midway like he was thinking of something before lowered it back."Any of the stars would be fine."

"Star?"

"Yeah, unlike the moon, a single star alone cannot make itself stand out from up there. But if it were in a crowd of stars, the distinctive bright it spread across the sky could easily make us notice every one of it. The more the stars stay together, the brighter it will appear in your eyes."-Rito paused for a second and turned his head to Ren, who was listening and watching him with a pair of curious eyes. The guardian continued as the alien boy nodded at him, implying that he wanted to hear more."A person once told me that the star represents of a lot of good things. Fortune, celestial sky, hope, success and many more. A shooting star also represents of good luck but it's a different case since it carries the meaning of both luck and protection, a heavenly shield. Mostly that's what everyone believe in. But to me, the stars also represent something else."

"…?"

Rito started pointing his finger at a shining group of stars which formed into several types of constellation.

"It represents our relationship, the connection between people."

Some would say that a star reflects a person's destiny or even a life of a being. A constellation was made from a group of stars that connected to each other through a link that cannot be seen. In a relationship, people also connected to each other by an invisible thread. The more they stick together, the stronger their connection will be.

It was like an unshakable bond.

"There is a saying that good friends are like stars, you don't always see them but you know they are always there. **[1]** I like how the whole sky portrays our connection, it's….."

Rito trailed off and he stopped, realizing that he has completely gone off the topic.

"S-sorry, I was supposed to explain to you why I compared myself to the star."-the boy scratched his cheek sheepishly."That was lame of me, wasn't it? Telling you unrelated stuff like that."

"So thoughtful…"-Ren muttered in awe.

"….?"

"I didn't expect you were such a thoughtful person, Yuuki Rito. Are you used to be a philosopher?"

"N-no, I'm just a high school student and a part-time worker."-he sweat dropped."Those are what I learned."

"I see. It's profound."-Ren smiled thinly."You must have like stargazing very much, don't you?"

"Well….."-Rito replied back, but with an honest smile on his face."I don't look at the sky all the time for no reason."

….no reason he said…..

Ren leaned back on the sofa and went deep into his own thought. What Rito just said somehow intrigued him, people was connected by an invisible thread, an imaginary link that represented the relationship of a person.

While thinking, an image of the pretty pink haired girl came to his mind. Lala has always thought of him as a childhood friend and now she's still feeling that way. If there were any changes after those challenges, it was that she only saw him becoming a bit more interesting than before. Not to mention those cheerful looks she gave Rito during those time.

Just what should he do to get Lala's attention?

…..thinking back, I was like an idiot all this time…..I shouldn't have been too hasty, not manly at all.

"The more we stay together, the stronger our connection will be."-Ren muttered quietly under his breath.

...If I stay close to Lala for a while, maybe ours relationship can be improved, I guess I can only hope.

"Ren, there's something I want to say to you."

Ren snapped out from his thought as Rito's voice rang in his ears. The alien boy tilted his head to look at him.

"Thanks to the emotional outburst from earlier, I think I finally get to understand you better now."-Ren's face reddened in embarrassment when he recalled the moment a few minutes ago. This didn't go unnoticed by Rito but the orange haired boy continued to say regardless."But as Lala's guardian, I'm going to ask you again to clarify everything."

"Ask away."-Ren nodded.

"What you said about going against the marriage rules that Lala's father has set up for all of the candidates to marry her as the prince of Memorzo, are you really sure about that?"

Being stared at in the eyes directly by a serious gaze from Rito, Ren felt like an electric shock just ran through his body. He coughed, composing himself and returned the same gaze directly into the boy's golden-brown eyes.

"I'm sure, I have no interest in any of the possessions or the position the Devilukean's Emperor is holding. Lala-chan is important to me and I want to protect her, to free her from all of this ridiculous marriage arrangements. She is the only reason that I have worked hard and come to this far. I want to show to Lala-chan, to you and to everyone else how manly I can be. I will marry her not as an inheritor of planet Deviluke but as the prince of planet Memorze."

He clenched his fists tightly, his eyes burning with determination. The answer that he long kept deep within him has resurfaced.

"I'll make Lala-chan happy and I will do it as the person who loves her genuinely."-Ren took a deep breath and expressed loudly."I truly love Lala-chan!"

That was all….

That was everything he could voice out in his heart.

Rito was looking at him with wide eyes. Slowly, his lip curved up into a smile and his eyes soften.

"I see."-then he stood up and walked out from the spot before turning back to him."Well, I'll be going home then."

"Heh?"-Ren looked at him in dumbfound."Wait, that's it? You're not going to say anything about my answer?"

"What is there else to say? You've already showed me your resolve….haven't you?"-Rito scratched his cheek, slightly confused.

"What's with that delay? Anyway, at least give me your thought, will you?"-Ren looked sideway, rubbing his head."Saying all of that is really embarrassing, even Run is blushing in my subconscious right now."

Immediately, Ren jolted as Run's voice echoed non-stop in his head.

"Gah! I'm sorry Run but it's true, I know you are blushin-Ouch! Please stop yelling inside my head!"-as if his eardrum was being punched at from the inside, Ren grabbed his head and spun around, waving up and down comically, trying to escape from the intense voice of his counterpart.

Rito couldn't help but chuckled at the sight.

Reluctantly, spending time to talk with Ren has helped him discovered many sides of Lala's childhood friend. Comparing to all the candidates he had encountered in the past, Ren was a complete opposite of them. Ren honestly care about Lala and he didn't have any ill intentions toward her.

Rito was glad to know that.

…..my thought, huh.

"Ren."-the orange haired boy called out to get his attention, Ren stopped hugging his head at stared at him with a questioning look."You really are a good person."

"Yuuki Rito, I don't know why you keep saying that but I feel like I was being mocked here. Are you mocking me?"-his eyebrow twitched.

"I'm being honest here, stop doubting me."-a small sigh escaped from the boy's mouth."Anyway, I'm heading back. It's near dinner time now so I wouldn't want to keep others waiting."

Ren reached for the key on the table and walked past Rito. He stopped at a large size door and pressed a button on the device. The door automatically disappeared, revealing a small view of the pitch black forest and a stair that lead down to the grassy field below. Staring at the dark scenery, Rito found himself slightly shivered a bit at the hissing sound of the cool wind.

…so eerie…

The orange haired boy took a few steps down the stair but before he could place his feet on the ground, Ren's voice stopped him in his track.

"Wait, Yuuki Rito."-the said boy looked back at Ren who was glancing sideways while rubbing his head sheepishly."D-don't tell Lala-chan about what you have seen today, okay? And…sorry for letting you see such a weak side of me. Ju-just don't get me wrong, we are classmates but you are still my rival and that fact will never change."

Rito blinked at him, slightly surprised at his words then put on a thin smile.

"Yeah, it won't."

As if it was a respond he expected, Ren snorted and smiled, too.

On that evening, under the bright light of the moon and many stars, without anyone knowing, a mutual rival-friend relationship has been established between two Sainan high school students.

Suddenly, the two boys startled as a rustling sound from near there grabbed their attention.

"What's that?"-Ren asked to himself while he went out and stood next to Rito to look around for the source.

Rito didn't move and just stared at a large bush where the sound just came from. As he was about to go there and check, the ringing tone of his phone interrupted him and Ren seemed to notice it.

Taking it out, Rito's eyebrow raised at the calling ID.

….nii-san?

"Nii-san, what is-?"

[Rito, are you still on the mountain?]-Ito cut in, his voice sounded urgent on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm with Ren right now. What's wrong?"

[Hurry and come back here quickly, one of Lala's candidates is standing right at our front door!]

Ito hang up when the orange haired boy could manage to say anything else. Rito and Ren widened their eyes in pure shock, the alien boy didn't mean to eardrop but he also heard it well.

Both stared at each other as they were trying to progress such an event into their head.

Rito narrowed his eyes, gripping his phone tightly.

Ren frowned, worrying for what would happen to Lala.

Immediately, at the same time the two turned and raced as fast as they can through the dark path that lead them back into town.

Until the two boys has finally gone from the vast field, a girl with short blue haired stepped out from the bush and looked back at the narrowed path where Rito and Ren just went in.

The small dog holding in her arms kept waving its tail non-stop like he was enjoying the warm of her body.

However, the dog didn't seem to aware of the expression on his master's face.

…..Yuuki-kun….and Ren-san….where are they going?

Sairenji Haruna was having a mixed feeling between confuse and surprise as her eyes glued to the now quiet and pitch black road.

The spaceship behind her disappeared making her turned back and looked around, even more confusing.

…..just now….was it an alien ship?

The girl wondered to herself and she has no idea, starting from this night, this event will lead her to discover a whole new aspect of the world.

* * *

 **[1] quote by Christy Evans.**

 **Author's note: Wow, it's been nearly three week since my last updated on this story. Sorry for the delay, I've been working on the plot for my new story, check it out if you want.**

 **Anyway, let's get back to the story. This chapter contains mostly dialogues (and a bit of philosophy) but I tried to make it into a "heart-to-heart" conversation between Rito and Ren (please don't take it the wrong way, I'm not shipping these two). Ren's role has been decreased dramatically** **in the canon and his connection with Lala has become blurry as well. So in this story, there will be a lot of changes in his role like Saruyama and I'll find some way to let you see that in the future.**

 **Review the chapter if you please. I'll see you again in the next note.**


	24. Chapter 24: Decent-Dangerous

**Hi everyone, I'm back. It's been nearly a full year since the last time this story got updated, isn't it? Well, for better or worse...**

 **(Bow down and slam the head on the ground in dogeza pose)**

 **I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SUCH A LONG TIME TO CONTINUE THIS STORY!  
**

 **And I'm so sorry for making those who has followed my story to wait for the new update in patience all this time. This story has never been abandoned and I've never planned to do that either so I hope this story hasn't been completely forgotten yet.**

 **To be honest, during the time when I was making a draft for the future arcs, I noticed a serious plot hole in the story so I decided to temporarily stop updating and fixed that hole first while added a new stories in the other section in due time.**

 **Now that I fixed it, everything is back on track once more. So, again, sorry for making you all wait for such a long period, my dear readers.**

 **Ultimate: Thank you, there will still be along way before Nana and Momo make their appearance in the story but I'll make sure that moment would be the most "unexpected" one.**

 **Eramis8: Thank you, I like to have Ren and Rito treating each other this way since if would make Ren's purpose and role as a person becomes more prominent than what he is in the manga (meaning he's going get a big role like Saruyama), expect more surprise from this story~.**

 **Please, enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru.**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: ~Decent_Dangerous~**

…

… _ **ks!...**_

 _ **KKkksksrkrsrkksKksrksKKsksrkkRrrrrrrrrr!...**_

… _ **.**_

 _Darkness._

 _Once again, darkness enveloped around him._

 _The boy with an unhealed scar on his forehead slowly walked through the dark, vast space. The surroundings became distorted by each time he took a step forward._

 _This unknown place, this seemingly endless darkness felt so familiar to him. But at the same time, it also felt so strange._

 _Several weird symbols with red blood color began to appear before his very eyes. One of it stretched out horizontally like an elastic being pulled with great force. It enlarged, emitting a light with matched color on its body to the dark place._

 _Unfazed by the phenomenon, the boy stared blankly at the big symbol. A red blood color filled his vision and his feet moved._

 _The mysterious word suddenly materialized itself, many small symbols started appearing on its body as that boy walked closer and closer while he extended his right hand toward it._

 _The gap between the strange symbol and him got shortened by the second. As he reached it, the symbol began to react, flickering uncontrollably in a disturbing way. Its body stretched and shortened in an extremely fast pace that the boy found it difficult for his eyes to follow._

 _Like a mirror, the symbol shattered, breaking into many small red particles and disappeared into the dark, vast space with nothing else left._

"… _.."_

 _The boy watched the event unfolded before him with pure calm. His right hand, which was still reaching to where the thing once was, now held onto nothing as the symbol broke apart at the tip of his finger._

 _Retracting his arm, he looked around and slowly, his eyes widened as something happened._

 _Many other small symbols around him suddenly emitted a blood red color aura and turned bigger, taking the shape of a twisted being that cannot be described just by a few simple words._

 _ **KKskskkskssk!**_

 _As if the danger was dominating the dark place, the calmness surrounded it all this time started to crumble._

 _The black, quiet space was no more, everything in that place was now painted by a blood red color._

 _Not knowing what was happening, the boy took a step back as he turned his head to watch the strange phenomenon occurred around him._

 _A lot of disembodied voices echoed in his head, hauntingly, creepily like a stimulation to force out the nervous feeling that was slowly swelling up inside him._

 _The boy narrowed his eyes, his vision now filled with the disturbed color became redder, bloodier as a tingling pain screamed inside his head. Feeling like his brain was being implanted by a thousand needles, the boy kneeled down on whatever solid surface that had been the ground to carry his foot while rubbing the scar on his forehead with the right hand._

 _It was until then, he noticed something wet was dripping down on the skin of his nose, from the place where he placed his right hand onto._

 _Confused, the boy with the unhealed scar looked at the palm of his right hand. Immediately, his breath halted as he stared at it in shock._

 _ **KKKSKsSKsksshskhkrsrkskrsrkrkrrRRRrrrr!**_

 _The right hand was paled, painted and drown in a red substance that reeked a rusty smell of blood. A part of the skin began to bulge and fell down like it was cut clean by a knife, decaying slowly like the death._

 _The boy hurriedly pulled up his sleeve to see something was wrong with his hand, but only to discover his entire right arm also ended up in the same state. The skin on his arm turned pale, veins could be seen and was quickly to be swallowed back into his flesh as the red substance poured out from the decaying part of his arm._

" _!"_

 _A tremendous pain ran through his body as he watched._

 _His shaking mouth opened a small gap as he could not know how to comprehend the situation._

 _Gritting his teeth, in panic, the boy instinctively grabbed his bloody arm with his left hand and looked up, trying to search for something that could help him overcome this._

 _But as he did so, the boy also realized something that he had almost forgot as the trouble he was facing with pulled his attention away from the surrounding._

 _Many twisted beings in various indescribable forms were creeping up to him, staring at him face to face as they surrounded him, leaving no gap for the boy to escape._

 _Many red orbs glowed inside something like a hole, which seemed to resemble to a human orbits, were directed at him._

 _The boy could not move, he couldn't do anything while the pain from the torn right arm was getting to his sense._

 _However, despite this, he still held a calm spirit in his eyes. Inhaling deeply as he realized he had forgot to breath, the boy braced himself for whatever these inhuman things was about to unleash at him._

 _One of the things slowly stretched out a part of its body toward him, like it was extending a hand. Something like a shape of a mouth began to form on its disfigured head, opened wide with sharp, bloody teeth rubbed against the creature's dark pink tissue as it moved._

 _Closer than ever, it leaned down toward him, grabbing his shoulder firmly with its disfigured hand._

 _The boy then closed his eyes._

 _And…._

"… _.."_

"… _.Star….."_

 _A familiar voice came to his ear…_

… _.._

" _Star, wake up."_

"…"

 _The boy, whose name was Star, slowly lifted up his tired eyelid. The dreaming light of a thousand tiny dots that carried the same name as him entered his vision._

 _The boy blinked several times, realizing he was leaning against a chair while facing up, viewing the invisible ceiling above his head._

 _Letting out a soft grunt, the boy shifted his eyes back to the person who stood in front of him. A man, who appeared to be the boy's companion or partner, was looking directly at him, slightly leaning down to adjust his own height while he placed a hand on his shoulder._

"… _hey…." Star greeted quietly as he rubbed his eyes, the tiredness hadn't fully gone away._

 _Seeming to have noticed the look on the boy's face, the man let go of his shoulder and asked with concern._

" _Hm, still feeling sleepy? You don't look so good with those bags under your eyes."_

 _Star shook his head and just let the silence responds to the answer for him, but the man continued, he didn't seem to want to put aside this conversation so quickly after seeing the tiredness in his eyes._

" _Are you having a bad dream?"_

"… _.I…..don't know.…" The boy rubbed the scar on his forehead."I'm not sure what kind of dream I just saw, everything is blurry and hazy."_

 _Then he put on a thin smile._

" _!"_

" _But I have a feeling you just woke me up at the right time. Bad dream or not, I actually feel a little bit of relief right now, thank you."_

 _The man chuckled._

" _Well, figure it's about time I should pull you out from your short nap." He turned around and walked up through an automatic door, speaking over his shoulder."We're almost there, kiddo. Go wash your face and get yourself ready, the ship is going to dock soon."_

 _Star nodded his head and the man disappeared from his sight as the automatic door closed back with a smooth sliding sound._

 _Sitting alone in the room, Star shifted his gaze back to the ceiling above him, where a million of stars spread its light across the dark universe. They were moving, slowly, steady like the bubbles floating from deep under the ocean._

 _Star placed a hand onto his ear, rubbed it lightly as he could feel the small grumbling sound of the ship engine was hitting it. Aside from that, the atmosphere was still._

 _So quiet, so calm._

… _..unlike that dream…._

 _So uncomfortable, so uneasy._

 _Stretching an arm toward the ceiling, the boy watched as he closed his hand into the form of a fist like he was trying to get a hold of one of the stars sparkling endlessly outside._

 _The memories of that dream began to flood his mind._

 _Those images, those symbols and those strange creature. They felt so familiar in a frightening way yet so unfamiliar at the same time._

 _As if the energy in his left arm had gone, the boy let the right hand raised above his head fell down on his thigh, palm opened and closed in a slow motion as he gazed down at it._

 _Silently, he stood up, making his way toward an automatic door made of something that was solid like steel. It opened, revealing a small bath room with some advanced technology attached to the wall on both sides._

 _It was said that these machine could help the person to freely control the gravity condition so the water won't fly off to everywhere while they are taking a bath outside space. The structure of this room was made separated from the rest of the ship since there are some species find join in playing with the water and dip themselves inside a huge ball made of warm water that floated in the air._

 _To make it easier to understand, it was pretty much similar to the time when you bath yourself inside a hot spring. But nevertheless to say, the feeling it brought was only similar._

 _However, Star didn't really have the intention to use it though, the boy just walked in and stood in front of a mirror hanged on the wall with some hologram started to appear when his image reflected on its surface._

 _The boy then rolled up his sleeve, the right sleeve to be exact, and the only thing he could see on his arm was a large scale of paled, decayed, almost rotten flesh. Not only that, there was also a slightly pale color with blood veins ran above the soft layer of his skin._

 _It was a horrendous sight._

… _ **.KKksksss!**_

 _In a second, his vision flicked, the color around him turned to pure red. As he blinked, the spot disappeared the next time he casted his eyes on. But it wasn't over, the boy could feel his right eyes twitched lightly as if a mysterious vibration was running through his flesh, taking over from the arm to the right side of his head._

 _It was another effect of the hallucination._

"… _.."_

 _Despite this, the boy named Star still kept silence, he rubbed his right hand gently with the other hand and pushed what he just saw to the back of his mind before extending them both toward a curve, sink-liked object to get the water flowing out from it and washed his face._

 _A moment later, the ship they were on arrived at the destination where the two was heading to._

… _._

 _Standing alone on the corridor while letting himself captivated by the sight of a colorful aurora flew across the galaxy in a river like shape, the boy with an unhealed scar on his forehead slowly moved his eyes along the beautiful stream of stars, which formed by a trillion glittering stars from light years away._

 _He was into it so much to the point he had to lean over the rail, nearly pressing his cheek against the hard glass shield in attempt to look for the ending line of the river stars._

 _As he was observing the view, a finger…no, a tentacle poked on his shoulder and the boy turned his head around._

 _A humanoid with the arms that looked like tentacle was standing in front of him, pointing the tip of its limb over his head. The boy blinked at the gesture of the creature, he didn't seem to understand what it meant until he looked around._

 _At the moment the boy was standing in the middle of a long line that filled with various species in many forms. Soon remembering that he was lining up like the others and was currently breaking the line to enjoy the view from outside the station, the boy apologized with his head bowed down at the creature and immediately went back to his spot._

 _The person in front of him then moved forward one step and the boy did the same. The action repeated again and again until a voice reached to him._

" _Hahh~, finally got here. I didn't expect this place to be so crowded at a time like this." Pushing himself through the crowd, the man who was his companion wiped off the sweat on his forehead with a sigh."Let's go now, kiddo, you don't need to wait in the line anymore. I've already reserved a table for us."_

 _Receiving a light pat on the back from the man, Star glanced at his companion over his shoulder and followed him in silence as the man pointed his thump at the door that lead to a space station up ahead._

 _They both walked past the long line of people gathered from all kind of place in the galaxy and entered through the door. As it opened, they walked into a round tube and the floor beneath their feet moved, working like a transport platform._

 _Several hologram boards with orange color and pictures presented in the middle of its panel began to appear before them and they spread around until about 2 meters around the platform, which carried them, had been fully covered. It was at this moment, the man connected to the network here through the hologram that covered a part of his left arm and looked over some of the advertised images around him._

" _Hm, let's see….oh! Looks like they just added into the menu a new list of food. This is great!" Delighted by this news discovery, the man turned to Star, who was staring at one of the hologram in ponder."Anyway, what do you want to eat, Star?"_

 _Hearing that but the boy didn't respond, he just stared at the man with a slightly troubled look on his face._

"… _um, I can't really make out the words written on these board, can you explain it to me a little bit?"_

" _Oh, sorry. I forgot that you are still unfamiliar with these languages. It takes time to learn after all."_

 _The man moved to a hologram board next to him and pressed some symbols on the lower right corner. Instantly, the words or the symbols as the boy can see, all changed into a different type of word. He had just switched the localization of the displayed text through the interaction with the menu system._

" _Recently, the Devilukean's language is starting to become more common around the galaxy. In the future, it might even be one of the commonly spoke languages up here since they have joined in the Council."_

"… _Devilukean?"_

" _Yup, their position in the universe is gradually growing, both economic and politic. It's amazing when you think about it, the Queen and the King of planet Deviluke are doing their best to help the Council and other races to reserve the peace after the Great Galactic War. Their efforts are recognized by a lot of people so no doubt such an idea will definitely come true."_

"…"

 _Hearing no word from the boy, the man took a glance at him to see his reaction. There was no surprise or any emotion showed on Star's face, his facial expression was purely passive and blank just like usual as he looked over the hologram, moving his hand to grab the interactive image and checked the info of the food._

" _You don't seem to interest much in this topic."_

" _Hm? Ah….no, it's not like I think it uninterested or anything. I was just wondering…." The boy scratched his cheek awkward as he showed him the hologram contained the image of a dish with an object resembled to a stone placed on it."Isn't this a crystal? Why are they serving something is not even food?"_

 _The man took a brief glance at the dish's info appeared right under the image._

" _Actually, this is the food that comes from the culture of the Rockian, their digest system is a little bit special than the others so they can consume everything that edible in their eyes. I heard their taste is also a lot different from us, too."_

 _The boy still confused, though._

" _How is that even work? I mean aside from them, most of us cannot eat these things so why making them?"_

" _Well, this station is where all the ingredients and the gourmet cultures from around the universe are gathered here and since they serve all kind of dishes here, we can all come here to enjoy the food of the different culture. Even If there exists a certain type of food that only one races can eat due to their biological different, it can also be counted as food. Thus, they added this into the menu and as you can see it."_

 _The man stood next to the boy, pulled a hologram closed to them both with the tool on his arm and tapped the image. From the board, a list of the same type of foods were displayed._

" _Putting that aside, the station up ahead and the restaurants in it are really famous. Overall, there are about a million of dishes so there's a lot of choices for you choose."_

 _Star made an "O" shape on his mouth in surprise at the amount of dishes this place could serve to its customers. But the next words wiped off that surprise look on his face and replaced by a slightly paled one._

" _By the way, here is a heads-up, depend on the type of Amino Acid in your body, meaning your DNA chain and the type of protein you can consume. Some ingredients or foods from different species can be really fatal or even deadly. It can cause harm to your organ so you will need to be careful with your choice when you eat here."_

"… _a-alright…"_

 _Star found himself paler at the explanation. Based on what he said, that would be meant if you were to eat the food and unexpectedly pick the kind of dish that your body cannot consume, it was no different from the fact that you are digesting something extremely poisonous._

 _Noticing the nervous look in the boy's eyes, the man smiled thinly and reassured him._

" _Well, when I said be careful with what you choose to eat, I was only meant it as an advice. If such a case occurs, a medical team will be dispatched and with the advanced medical equipment they have, the problem will be solved immediately so you don't have to worry about being knocked out for good with the type of food that is poisonous to your body."_

"… _..I see." The boy sighed in relief._

" _Uhm, besides, the worst case that had happened so far in the galactic history was just heavy indigestion. No casualty was reported so I think it will be fine." The man rubbed the boy's head gently as he said so. Star didn't give it much reaction though."Now go ahead and take a look around, especially those dishes over there. Those are the common foods outside space, almost every races can digest them. I'm sure you have already ate one of those before."_

 _Star turned his head, following the direction the man pointed at. To the right, there was a few hologram images with the title displayed above. Now the boy can read them easily._

" _Yeah, I did eat one of those before, it's good."_

 _The man nodded in delight at the boy's word._

 _For a moment, the two continued to debate which one they should choose to eat. It didn't take long until the transport platform reached the other side._

… _._

 _Star was astonished at the view before him._

 _There was a hundred of floor built up all the way to the top above his head, neatly fitted and organized in a massive area. From where he stood, the distance from the ground to the ceiling up there was so big that almost like the size of the ceiling itself was reduced to the size of a baseball. Thousands of board were displayed outside the restaurant and despite the crowded place, you could always see the sign no matter where you walk._

 _Colorful and cleaned, the place was beautifully organized and managed._

" _Impressive, isn't it?"_

 _Turning to the man who was flashing a broad smile on his face. Star also returned the same expression._

"… _.yeah….it is."_

" _Alright, this way then, the restaurant where I made the reservation is just about ten floors above."_

 _Making their way toward to the center of the area where a large elevator with its height climbed all the way to the top, a platform suddenly appeared before them and they entered it without delay._

 _The two quickly found themselves standing in front of a small restaurant with the catchy design wall painted in red color, the place where they were going to._

" _This is the place, wait here."_

 _The man approached one of the staff and pulled out a card from his pocket. After the staff had confirmed the reservation and was about to lead the way for their two customers, the man turned back to Star to call him but stopped as he saw the boy was staring intensely at the title board made from wood decorated above the entrance._

" _What's wrong?"_

 _The boy gave a light jolt at the question. For a short moment, he didn't seem to pay any attention to anything around him like his mind had just wandered to elsewhere._

 _Shifting his eyes to his companion, Star stuttered a little as if he was trying to search the right word to explain something in that mind of his._

"… _n-no, it's just….this decoration pattern and the words written in that board up there look somewhat…..familiar."_

" _It is?" The man jerked his head up to take a look at the title board. After viewing the thing, his eyebrows raised up in confusion."I don't see anything special about it, I think its appearance is just normal like any other restaurants around here, nothing out of ordinary. If you're talking about the title then all I only see is a few lines of ours language mixed with some symbols."_

… _ **ks!**_

"… _.maybe…..but that symbol….."_

… _ **.Kkskksks!**_

" _I felt like I have seen it before….somewhere…." The boy pointed at the symbol embed near the end of the board._

 _It was an icon formed by a bowl with three curved, smoke-like columns on top of it and two straight, thin lines were drawn over like the image of a handheld chopstick was scooping the noodle._

 _At this point, there was a distant gleam in the boy's eyes. The man saw it and immediately a thought came to him._

 _That symbols could somehow relate to the origin of this mysterious boy next to him._

…

" _Here is your seat, sir."_

" _Why thank you."_

"… _t-thank you….."_

 _Having been guided to their table, the two sat down as the small glass in the middle of the table shined and several images of the menu popped up, floating in the air with all kind of foods and drinks to pick. The waiter also raised up an arm to his chest height and an orange hologram appeared, wrapped whole of his left arm. He pressed some button and a window opened, probably used to note down the order from the customers._

" _What will you two be having?"_

" _Give me a couple of dark matter puddings, for snack first. As for the drinks, a glass of Sorademian's tear."_

 _The man was the one ordered his food first._

" _Then, how about you?"_

 _The waiter turned to the boy next, but apparently he seemed to be in a bit of trouble._

" _Huh?...ah, j-just a moment, let me read the menu first. I still have no idea of what I should choose to eat."_

 _Star clumsily replied while he looked over the pile of information, slowly flipping the interactive hologram panels and moving his hand left to right to search for the stuff he used to eat all this time._

" _Please take your time. And the drink?"_

" _The drink?...um, the drink…" The boy muttered inside his mouth, thinking."I like to have mineral water, the common one they use out here in space."_

 _The waiter noted down and waited for further order from the two, but it would be likely to take some time as Star remained clueless of what to order._

 _Feeling the awkwardness in the atmosphere, the man broke it as he spoke up._

" _For now, just bring the puddings and the drinks to us first, let the boy takes some time to select his, we'll call you again when we want to order more."_

 _The waiter bowed and walked away, leaving the two in their own space._

 _Star let out a small sigh, rubbing his head sheepishly as he become less tense since he just made himself look like an idiot._

 _The man watched and he chuckled, which only added more embarrassment to the boy though he didn't really mean it, it was unintentionally._

 _The boy's companion then leaned on the table with his elbow placed on it, resting his chin on the palm as he spoke._

" _Relax, kiddo, no need to be nervous. Are you still worrying about what I've just told you back in the elevator?"_

"… _."_

…

… _.._

… _._

" _I see, so you….pff….so you forgot how to spell the name of the soup you take a liking to back at ours station, huh?"_

 _The man covered his mouth, slightly turned his face to the side as he tried his best to suppress the urge to laugh out loud at the silly reason of his partner._

 _Star on the other hand lied his face flat on the table, both hands covered his head as he did so. The skin around his cheek was pure red, the boy must had been really embarrassing to admit it._

"… _..please….don't laugh…..I know…..I'm an idiot…so please…..stop laughing."_

 _The boy spoke in a trembling tone, anime tears dripped down his cheek._

" _Hey now, I never said that you're an idiot."_

" _But you are definitely thinking of it, didn't you?" Star shot up his gaze at the man._

" _No, I think you are just a clumsy person."_

 _The boy hanged his head down again. This time, a dark, depressed aura formed around him._

" _Hey, how about this? Let me order for you a new type of food that has just went down into my top 10 favorite dishes in the universe."_

 _Intrigued by this, the boy lifted his head up and looked at the man with an eyebrow raised up._

" _New type of food?"_

" _Yeah, it tastes really good and I'm sure you will like it."_

 _The man clicked on one of the hologram panel and dragged them to in front of him. Through a few actions, a small panel with the same orange color like the hologram displayed on his arm and the menu appeared next to him. Then, the man pushed it toward the boy's side by flicking a finger._

 _With a smooth motion, the interactive menu glided through the table in mid-air and stopped before the boy's eyes._

 _Star began to take a look at the title and the image of the dish._

"… _."_

 _A full minute passed as the boy stared intensely at the screen without doing anything whatsoever._

 _Noticing the silence was getting longer, the man decided to put up some words._

" _So…..how about it? Do you want to try it?"_

"… _.this is…..it looks…"_

" _?" The man raised an eyebrow in confusion as he heard Star muttered something in his mouth._

"… _hey, do you know the name of this dish?"_

 _The boy suddenly turned the image toward the direction of the man and stood up from his seat, leaning over the table as he asked, pointing a finger at the text in the "name" label._

 _The man was caught by surprise due to the boy's sudden act. Aggressiveness could be seen clearly on the boy's face. His eyes was narrowed, sometime twitched slightly while he kept the gaze on him._

" _W-well, I'm not really sure I can get the name right for you since it has always been written in a language that I'm not familiar with but I heard they called it_ _ **Ramen**_ _."_

 _..._

… _.._

… _.._

" _Wait, you're not going to eat the pudding first?"_

" _No, I want to try this."_

"… _suit yourself then."_

 _A bowl of the food called ramen was placed in front of Star, the boy gazed down at it for a while before picking up the chopstick in a very natural way._

 _No it was strangely natural that the man couldn't hardly describe, this was the type of food that had recently appeared. Only a few could know how to use those two sticks correctly to grab something called "noodle" from that bowl._

 _Yet, this boy here was doing it like he has already gotten used to it._

" _Star, have you eaten this before?"_

 _Star flinched at the question and he looked up at the man, blinking._

… _is he confusing?_

"… _I'm not sure, I feel like I'm familiar with this."_

… _.then….could it mean…?_

"… _but…."_

" _?"_

" _This is also the…..first…..time I see this stuff. I'm honestly don't know why."_

"… _.I see…"_

… _what's with that delay?_

 _Without any more word, Star began digging in silently._

 _Then, the two partners' eyes widened._

" _Eh?"_

 _Star didn't feel like he want to cry but a tear just glided down his cheek. Soon, another tear fell, leaving another wet trait on the boy's face._

 _ **KSklakfskskkkKKSSkrsrrr!**_

 _Before the boy could wipe off the tears flowing out from the corner of his eyes, for some reason, like a switched being turned, a sharp pain suddenly hit Star's mind, causing the boy to clutch his head by reflex. In an instant, his vision became blurry and that red blood-liked color appeared around him but despite that, he could still see the man, who was sitting on the other side of the table, stood up from his seat while called out his name multiple times._

 _There was this clear worriedness flashed deep in his eyes, Star saw it when the pain had gone away and his vision went back to normal._

" _H-hey, what's wrong? Are you alright?"_

"…"

 _The boy with the unhealed scar on his head couldn't open his mouth to respond, there was no word formed in his thought. However, since his consciousness was still fully awake, he managed to quickly raise up a hand, making a stop sign to prevent the man from coming out of his seat._

"… _.Star….."_

"… _.no….I'm fine. I just felt a little bit headache."_

" _A little bit, you say…" The man started to sit down again, feeling somewhat relief as the boy replied. His concern for the boy did not fade, though."there are tears in your eyes, are you sure it was just a little bit?"_

"… _.no….no, it's not crying. I don't know why." Star kept wiping the wet sensation lingered on his cheek but it didn't dry."S-sorry, I need to go wash my face."_

 _The boy stood up and left as he desperately trying to cover his face from the view of everyone around him._

 _The man was left to his own thought, watching the back of the boy who was hurriedly making his way out of the room._

 _After a short while, he folded his arm, sighing._

 _Earlier, there was something else he noticed from the boy._

… _he seems….._

 _That surprise look on his face, it almost seemed like the look of a person who had found something that they has always been longed looking for._

… _but…_

 _Yet, at the same time, there was this confusing emotion ran across the boy's expression. He seemed to know about it but also could not recognize what it was._

 _The man shifted his gaze, briefly glanced at the ramen bowl on the other side of the table._

 _After eating this stuff, the boy's emotion had become such a mess._

… _I guess this food is also related, huh._

 _It seemed he and the rest of the [unit] had found more clues that lead to the origin of the boy._

 _But still…_

… _still…..it really is tough for you, isn't it, Star? Having an amnesia….._

… _.._

… _.._

… _ **Ks!**_

 _ **KKKSKKKSKRrksrkskrKRRKskshKSKRSKUNKOWNRHSKRHKSJSkaRJSIABSKsKkKPASTHSKSKSRSrkhskrSHsrRRSKRHrksrkRSKrHRKHSKRSrrrrrrrrrrrr!**_

… _.._

In the evening, the moon light was so bright. Like every night, it lit up every corners of Sainan town with the illusory white, dim color.

During this time, the people in the town was about to drift into the dream world in their sleep and none of them were aware that a troublesome incident has approached the peaceful place.

On the now deserted street of Sainan, a pair of high school students were running, forcing their feet to move as fast as they could toward a certain place.

While chasing behind the orange haired boy and hurriedly following him back to his home, Ren found himself grasping rapidly.

It was not due to the air in his lung was about to run out.

It was not due to the nervousness that has been raising deep within him when the news of a new candidate came to meet the Devilukean's princess reached his ear either.

It was due to another shocking fact that he has just discovered as he watched the boy, whom he has deemed as his rival, from behind.

Yuuki Rito was ahead of him and the boy was sprinting in an almost unreal speed. Even though the distance between them at the moment was just neatly an arm length, for some reason, Ren noticed that the gap between themselves kept extending longer in a slowly way.

The boy was surprised by this.

Being an alien and came from a race that possesses an amount of stamina which was far more superior to the Earthling at that, yet Ren couldn't help but wonder where did the boy get all those stamina from as they has been running like this for a short time without even catching a break.

For a specie that lives in an isolated region of the galaxy, that boy was truly durable more than he expected.

But for now, Ren decided to put this matter away for another time.

…for now, I need to go to where Lala is.

Ren didn't have any time to waste and think about these things.

There was a trouble, the appearance of yet another greater threat that could destroy the happiness of the girl he loved.

And he needed to hurry to go there to protect her from it.

….I have to be quick, wait for me Lala-chan!

Determination filled in his hot pink eyes, Ren held his breath and dashed forward along with the boy in hope nothing bad will happen to the Devilukean's princess.

…..

"Lala!"

"Lala-chan!"

Instantly throwing the door open and storming inside the house without even taking their shoes off, both boys headed straight into the living room where a group of people has gathered.

Ren and Rito stopped in their track as a tense atmosphere in the room tickled their skin.

Calling it tense, however, the place was enveloped in an absolute silence, thus making the tension even more suffocated.

In front of the two, a strange man, who was believed to be the uninvited guest or one of the candidates to be more precisely, was sitting on the sofa with his leg crossed in a very gentlemanly way.

As if knowing something like this will happen, the man appeared unfazed and still remained calm in the presence of another two persons who has just entered the house.

On the opposite direction of the man, Lala was also sitting there on the sofa but there was this slight discomfort look on her face and it was clearly visible to anyone in the room.

The older brother was right next to Mikan and they were on the farthest spot of the long sofa, near to Lala and away from the uninvited man. Ito was giving the man an observing gaze as if the brown haired boy has no intention of letting that man come near Lala despite the polite gestures and words he has been giving them all this time from the moment he took his step into this house.

Finally, the one who lead him here, the clumsy person yet also the one who acquired the number one swordsman of Deviluke title, Zastin, was right there in the middle of the room. His expression was stiffed, seemingly worried about something.

Noticing the orange haired boy has come home, everyone in the room all turned their eyes toward the two high school boys except for the man.

A small surprise lingered in their eyes as they didn't expect the arrival of the partial white haired boy.

Before anyone could say a word, the tension that wrapped around the room started to subside as Lala was the first one to move out from her spot and hugged the arm of the orange haired boy happily, which caused his cheek to slightly burn red.

"Rito~, you're finally back!"

The usual high-spirit attitude and that happy smile once again returned back to the pink haired girl's pretty face.

Mikan let out a small sigh in relief as she felt the tension has cooled down, the little sister was glad that her brother has come back just in time.

Zastin was slightly surprise and quickly composed himself for the serious matter at hand with a cough.

On the other hand, after giving Rito and Ren a brief glance, Ito moved his gaze back onto the man and remained silence.

Then, the Devilukean's commander moved his feet, he stood next to where the man was sitting and extending a hand to him as a gesture of introducing the new candidate.

"Rito-dono, you came back just in time. This person here is-"

Before Zastin could finish his speech, the man raised up a hand in an attempt to halt the silver haired man's words as if he wanted to have the privilege to introduce himself to the mysterious guardian rather than leaving it to someone else.

The man suddenly stood up, he turned around, facing the two boys and gave them a polite nod, following next by a bright smile.

He was wearing a black jacket and a jean with the same matched color, the jean didn't seem to be made from the same material like the one Ren was wearing on Earth though. It was made from a different type of cloth that didn't exist in this green planet and has several small holes around the knee part.

His hair was brushed up, plus forming in a straight pattern that directed toward the back of his head with a few hair strings let down to cover his pointy ear. In addition, attached on both sides of his shoulder was a pair of bushy leather. By taking a brief look at his appearance and outfit, you can't deny that the man gave out the impression of someone who has a weird sense of fashion.

The man then bowed his head down, slightly leaning forward to greet them.

"Well, hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you two, gentlemen. My name is Zae Debidan and I am here today to see my dear future wife. Please pardon me for paying this sudden visit without letting you know beforehand."

Future wife, the man said.

The moment his ear caught those words, Rito gently pulled Lala to behind him and stood in front of her, creating a distance between her and the candidate.

Finishing the introduction, the man named Zae lifted up his head and gave the two boys the same bright smile from before.

Despite wearing the kind of clothe that was quite the opposite of his behavior, Zae appeared to be a very decent person compared to the previous candidates Rito had encountered. Everyone in the room thought so, too as they watched his polite manner.

However, to Ren, it was different.

For some reason, during the moment of watching Zae bowed his head down, the boy had a feeling the man just glanced at him with a piercing gaze hid in the corner of his eyes.

Ren didn't know why but he hoped it was just his imagination.

"Now, judging by the look of this." Zae took a single step forward, approaching the boy and Lala."It seems like you are the guardian in the rumor, am I right?"

"….."

Now standing face to face, Rito looked up to the man as he was a head taller than him, the boy could have reply to his question but Zae was still the first one to speak as he continued.

"I suppose this silent treatment would be a yes then. To tell the truth, I have traveled all the way here in order to find my beautiful wife. And through the help of this the Devilukean's commander here, I was able to achieve that."

"?!"

Rito shot a confused gaze at Zastin but the man didn't say anything other than nodded his head.

"I told everyone here to wait for your return then we can discuss and make things easier for each other to understand." Zae chuckled."It was a…..really awkward moment I must say since that boy over there just keep staring at me. I hope I didn't do anything wrong to offend him."

Ito blinked at the mentioning of his.

"I said a few words with my dear Lala in the meantime but she didn't want to listen to me and just ignored my words. Well, as someone with a higher status like her, I can totally understand that."

"…"

The boy could hear Lala pouting in discomfort behind him.

"And then, now that you are here, I suppose I cannot pass this opportunity to know more a few things about the one who has been quite a mysterious existence to us candidates. After all, in order to officially marry Lala, I will need to defeat you, her guardian. But at moment, such thing can wait, let's put that aside and befriend with each other first. May I ask for your full name?"

Another polite question was given while Zae looked down at the boy as he asked, pride and confidence was showed in those gaze of his.

Knowing that keeping any more silence will not make the whole situation changes, Rito opened his mouth.

"…I'm-"

"Before asking him that question, I want to ask you about something first."

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. It was at this moment that the partial white haired boy moved past the boy and stood right in front of Zae.

"Sorry for interrupting this conversation, but back then when you was introducing yourself, what do you mean when you said that you are here to meet your future wife? Since when did Lala-chan agrees to marry you?"

Zae didn't feel surprise or even react to the interference of the Memorzorian boy. For a while, he just stared down at Ren, giving him an uninterested look as long as the partial white haired boy stood there.

Somewhere in those quiet gaze was sparks flying around.

Temporarily ignoring those imaginary electric coming out from the two persons in front of him, Rito took the time to look around and ask someone what happened at home during his time on the mountain with Ren and his eyes made contact with Mikan and Ito.

Figuring out the meaning behind those looks the orange haired boy was giving, the little sister and the big brother altogether shifted their line of sight to Zastin as he was the answer to the boy's wondering.

Having received the hint, Rito then turned his gaze to Zastin only to see the man was also looking directly at him.

The commander was trying to tell something to the boy through that silence gaze of his.

"My dear Lala, about everything I have said to you a moment ago, I truly meant it as I'm honestly care about you so please give some thought about it." As if those words hasn't enough, Zae added in a few more."If we can marry each other, I assure you that you will feel happy for staying next to me."

Zae boldly said those word with a clear confidence lingered in his voice.

He didn't answer Ren's question and currently the partial white haired boy couldn't help but feel shock for being straight up ignored.

The man once again showed that bright smile on his face like he wanted to stress the most important meaning in his words was that he truly cared about the pink haired girl.

This time, it seemed even the guardian was being ignored and the man didn't even look at him in the eyes instead of the girl's emerald green one despite asking about his name just a few seconds ago.

But then again, without even taking a second to consider, Lala shot down the confession of the man.

"I decline! As I've already said so before, I have no intention of getting married to you or any other candidates, I have my own freedom to choose the person I want to marry to." Lala hugged the boy's arm tighter as she retorted in the face of Zae.

"…uh….Lala….y-you're clinging too close." Rito's cheek slowly burned red again as he could feel the soft part of her chest pressing against his arm.

"….tch….."

"?"

Something like the sound of a clicking tongue erupted from the man, the boy turned his head to look at Zae.

And needless to say, the man just gave him that same bright smile again.

"…"

…..

…..

…..

Later on, since the atmosphere made it looked like the situation was about to head into a very unpredictable direction due to the sudden visit of Zae and Zastin, plus, Ren unexpected appearance and the not so friendly mood between him and the candidate, the dependable little sister of the Yuuki family decided to ease the tense mood a little by inviting everyone to join in the dinner.

Rito and Ito was not entirely sure if that was a good idea at first, hence, even the Devilukean's princess voiced her opinion that she was against it.

It contained a lot of risk. Yet, no one could have predict what to come next.

The dinner was happening in a very smooth way as Zae Debidan sat quietly in his chair and gave many of his gentlemanly compliments to the food on the table.

Thanks to that the atmosphere around the house has gone back to how it usually was, the little sister has made the right call.

"Ah, such a refine taste, the one who made this….tamagobaki here has to be a very skilled cook, I presume."

"Ehehe, it's called tamagoyaki actually." Mikan giggled as she scratched her cheek, feeling somewhat embarrassing at the compliments constantly came from Zae."It's not something really that impressive but thank you for the compliment."

"Ah no, the pleasure is all mine."

"Hey, Mikan."

"Hm?"

"What is this?" Rito, who was sitting next to Mikan, pointed at the dish that emitted an extremely dark smoke."Why is this censored when I look at it?"

"It's…food."

"Mikan, why do I feel like there is something in between that delay?"

The little sister averted her eyes away with a sweat drop icon visible on her head. Rito felt like he just touched a sensitive topic.

"I made it, Rito~! Do you want to try it?"

Sitting on the right side of the orange haired boy and in excitement, Lala revealed herself to be the one who made that black dish. Voluntarily, the pink haired girl brought a piece of that censored thing from the dish onto the boy's cup.

"Here, has a taste~."

The boy sweat dropped and paled a little as he watched the mysterious substance of the censored thing slowly painted the rice inside.

"Lala, just what is this?"

"It's one of my favorite foods back on Deviluke~." Smiled the girl.

"Due the purpose of providing a healthy image to the viewer, the content of the dish has been censored." Ito, who sat on the other side of the table, next to the candidate voiced out something that doesn't make any sense."Well, not if there are any image."

That statement earned him a few blank stares.

"Sorry, I just want to explain it."

Rito got paler at the explanation, though.

"Rito, what's wrong? You don't like it?"

"Heh?! N…no, it's not like I don't like it but-"

"Then…." Lala picked up the piece in his cup with her chopstick and raised it to his mouth."Say ahhh~."

Somewhere in Sainan, Saruyama suddenly jolted up and jumped out of his bed, screaming out loud while clutching his head like tomorrow never come.

"Ahhhhh! Just what is this feeling?! Why am I being jealous for no reason?! Dang it, I want tomorrow to come soon so I can meet Lala-chan so bad!"

Back to the Yuuki household, Rito found himself flustered again as Lala leaned toward him but watching the thing held in between the chopstick slowly reached to his mouth would immediately change back the color on his face.

Rito's emotion was so mixed up. Fortunately, the boy was still clear in the head and something told him that his sense of taste would be messed up badly if that thing went inside his mouth.

Lala kept leaning in closer to feed the boy and Rito just leaned back further to avoid it.

Someone was starting to react because of that sight.

"Hm, hm, well that's no good, Yuuki Rito. To reject Lala-chan's cooking is to let go one of the best moments in your life." Ren who was also next to Lala or to rephrase it right, stole the seat next to Lala before anyone else could all this time, gave Rito a triumphant smile."Here, Lala-chan! Please allow me to get a taste of the masterpiece made by you, the goddess of my life!"

Ren shot out of his chair and chimed into the gap between Rito and Lala, the alien boy seemed to have reverted back to his enthusiasm self this morning.

"Ok~, here you go, Ren." Didn't mind the boy's act, Lala inserted the piece into Ren's wide opened mouth.

Ren widened his eyes a little, then he stood up straight, tilting his head to the side while tasting the flavor of the unidentified black thing in his mouth.

"…." The boy closed his eyes as he swallowed the black thing down.

Silence filled in the air as everyone watched.

"Hm…I see….."

Opening his eyelid and looked at Lala, Ren was sparkling dreamily as he gave the girl a thumb up.

"Lala-chan, it's really….good…"

Successfully delivered the final message, Ren lost his balance halfway and ended up fell down on his knee, a bumping sound echoed as the partial white haired boy lose his consciousness and lifelessly hit his head against the wooden floor.

Black smoke began to flow out from the inside of his mouth.

"!?"

Paler than ever, Rito gaped in horror at the sight. Sweat were dripping down his forehead like river.

High spirit and carefree as ever, Lala picked another piece in the censored dish and thrust it right into Rito's mouth before the boy could even react.

Mikan couldn't help but looked away and Ito just silently prayed for his young brother as he also faced the other way.

The moment his tongue touched the black thing, Rito's vision was flickering up and down like firework. His mind became blank and the iris in his eyes rolled upward, turned white.

The boy fell out of his chair and hit the floor motionlessly.

"Ren-dono! Rito-dono!"

"R-Rito! Rito! Wake up!"

"Eh? What happened to Rito?"

The last thing he saw right before the destructive flavor pushed him over the edge, the boy saw…

….ah….the whole universe is exploding….

Rito's consciousness then slipped away despite Mikan shook him non-stop.

This is so dramatic in a wrong way.

"…Yuuki Rito, huh….…."

Hearing some mumbling from the candidate, Ito shifted his focus back to the man. Zae was gritting his teeth, it wasn't showed but Ito could see that from the way he gripped the spoon so hard to the point it bended all the way down.

As if finally snapped out from his own thought, the man jolted and turned to Ito.

The brown haired boy didn't say anything aside from giving him a blank stare.

And in respond…

Zae returned back to the boy's gaze with his signature bright smile.

….

"…ah…."

Rito blinked at the familiar ceiling.

The boy was leaning back on the sofa in the living room. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Ren lying on the long length sofa next to him.

There were two food trays on the table in front of him, neatly covered to keep the inside warm.

"Oh, you awake. I left your food on the table, it starts getting late so you should probably eat it right away."

Hearing the small voice of the little sister echoed from behind him, the boy slowly turned back.

Mikan stood alone in the kitchen, the girl was cleaning the table where they always sit in to eat the meal.

It looked like dinner was over.

"Mikan, how long was I out?...Wait, more importantly, where is the candidate? Where is Lala?"

"He went back."

Ito was the one to answer the boy's question. Like usual, the brown haired boy sat on the sofa with a novel in his hand.

"He left in the middle of dinner, saying it was fortunate to know who the guardian is. He also said that he will pay another visit shortly, though."

"What about Lala?"

"Out there."Ito pointed a finger to the green yard outside the house."She is having a conversation with Zastin."

Rito rose up from his chair and moved his feet toward the glass door which lead to the outside yard.

"Rito, you're not going to eat it?" Mikan asked.

"No, not now. I'll eat later."

There were a few things that hasn't been clear to the boy yet. The candidate just came here and left in such a short amount of time. It was hard to believe.

Zae seemed to be a very decent type of person but the way he declared that he cares about Lala and the fact he has already recognized her as his future wife didn't seem right.

…..this isn't right…..

That man gave out a vibe that didn't fit in with his appearance.

…maybe there is more than meet the eyes and a part from that….

How did Zae know about the place where Lala was currently living and showed up?

Not only that, there was also the Devilukean's commander. Why was Zastin here along with him?

He needed to know the answer.

Out of all the time, the most dangerous scenario has come and happened so fast that no one could foresee it beforehand.

If a candidate has found the exact location of Lala's where about and arrived at his door step, then it would be a serious trouble later on.

It was fortunate that Zae Debidan was still a man with a gentleman personality, unlike Ghi Bree and Pryuma.

Or at least…..the boy really wanted to believe that he was lucky. Because he had also seen it, too.

That glare Zae gave Ren when he bowed his head down.

It was a gaze belonged to someone who often looked down on other people.

A gaze filled with hostility.

Turned out, Zae Debidan might not be the person the boy thought he was.

….that person is still hiding his true nature so it seems, I guess I have another trouble approaching in my door step now.

Another trouble has arrived, it was somewhat unpredictable.

But the boy won't regret of taking this path. After all, he was prepared for this.

Even if one of the worst scenarios has happen, Rito will continue to walk straight. He will absolutely not let these kind of trouble weight him down so he can come back to his daily life.

…...I'll definitely be more careful from now on.

The boy opened the glass door, closing it as he stepped outside.

The windy evening was so calm, he could sit here on the wooden platform, watching the stars all night.

Usually, that would be what he'll always do. However, at the moment, none of that crossed Rito's mind.

He immediately sweat dropped at the first sight he saw.

Right out here, the man in the skeleton-liked armor was on his knee in seiza position while the Devilukean's princess was slightly frowning, hands on her hip, staring down at the man with what seemed to be an angry look showed on her face.

Now Rito couldn't help but wondering again.

….what happened while I was out cold?

….

"Lala-sama, I k-know what I'm doing might have endangered your freedom but there is a reason for this and it is very serious!"

"I don't want to hear about it, I don't care if Deviluke loses one of its many supporters! That is for Papa to handle, not me! I only want to stay here on Earth and live with Rito!"

Zastin tried to calm the princess down, but his effort was all thrown into waste. He waved his arms around while giving the explanation of why he led the candidate here. Standing by the side, Rito could see the nervous expression on the man's face and his bended leg was slightly shaking.

….Zastin, he is this much nervous? And supporter?

Just what kind of person is Zae?

"B-by the way, Lala-sama, can I have the permission to change my position a little bit? Sitting in this seiza something pose is really making my leg become all worn out."

"No! Bad Zastin! This is a punishment for bringing a troublesome candidate into Rito's house."

"Ehhh! B-but-"

"No but!"

Lala's voice was stern, yet it still remained a hint of her cute characteristic.

"Y-y-yes, I'm so sorry, Lala-sama! Please forgive me for my foolish decision."

"…." Rito smiled dryly.

So that nervous look on his face turned out to be his tiredness due to sitting in that position for too long. Not even the number one swordsman of Deviluke could handle the very old punishing pose of the Earthling.

….hm?

Wait a second…

….wouldn't that mean I lost conscious that long?! Just how terrifying is that dish Lala made?!

It was then, Rito made another mental note in his mind about the girl's favorite food. He will need to be more careful around Lala's cooking from now on.

"Lala-sama, please understand, this is something I can't really handle on my own since Zae Debidan is more than just a candidate."

"Apologize for interrupting, Zastin-sama. But isn't Zastin-sama's has once said that you will support Lala-sama in her decision to live a free life on this planet?" Peke the hairclip spoke up."Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it supposed to be one of your duties?"

Couldn't give an answer to Peke's question, Zastin hang his head down in a lost for word. True to what the robot in the hairclip shape spoke, the commander was fully aware of what he had done is wrong.

Leading a candidate straight into the house of the guardian was no different from declaring the end of Lala's freedom.

"Yes, you right. It is my duty to support Lala-sama."

"Then why did you lead him here?"

Because he has no other choice….

"It's because…..that person is not who you think he really is."

"What do you mean by that?"

Another voice came, Zastin and Lala turned their head to the source where the voice attracted them to. The orange haired boy was listening, asking as he stepped down from the wooden platform and landed his feet onto the green grass.

"Rito-dono."

"Rito, you're awake~! Are you feeling alright? Mikan-chan said you were feeling sleepy and dozed off in the middle of dinner."

"Huh?"

"That is not good, you know. Mikan-chan and your brother told me about your habit of sleeping late at night. You should sleep properly so you can stay healthy."

"..."

The boy sweat dropped, he began to understand a certain things the more the girl said. Lala still didn't know it was her dish that knocked his consciousness off the roof.

Mikan told a white lie to her because it was one of Lala's favorite food, the thing she used to eat back on her planet. The little sister didn't to make the girl feel sad.

….Mikan, you're so kind….

Rito silently gave his thank to Mikan. The young brother was proud of his dependable, little sister.

"I know, I heard it from Mikan. Sorry about that, I'll try not to stay up late too much."

"Hm, hm~." The pink haired girl nodded her head in delight.

A ringtone came.

Lala looked down at her pockets and the small vibration became clearer as she took out the D-Dial.

"Oh! It's finally finished!"

Confused by the girl's sudden change of expression, Rito blinked as Lala punched the air in happy.

Despite the situation just a while ago, the girl still being carefree as usual and now she looked excited for some reason.

"Ehehe~, I'll go back to my room now." Lala quickly made her way back into the house, but not until she turned back to say a few words to her guardian again."Rito, you should sleep early, alright? Good night~."

"…..y-yeah….good night, Lala."

The glass door opened and closed.

Behind the see through door, the boy saw Lala said something to Ito and went out of the room, her feet danced on tip toe in a very cheerful manner.

….she looks happy…

A short sigh echoed next to him, it came from the number one swordsman of Deviluke.

"Rito-dono, I'm sorry for causing trouble to you and Lala-sama this time." Zastin spoke while sweeping a drop of sweat on his forehead."I hope she won't stay mad at me for this foolish decision of mine."

…well, she seemed to leave you here and went back to her room with a happy look.

It did seem like Lala has forgot about Zastin and his punishment for a moment there.

"Either way, I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you."

The tired look on the man's face disappeared as his tone suddenly changed into a serious one.

"There is something I need to inform you and it's really urgent."

Rito nodded his head and concentrated his mind in listening to him.

"It's about the candidate you've just met, Zae Debidan." The Devilukean's commander slightly narrowed his eyes.

"?"

Breathing another long sigh, the silvery haired man looked straight into the boy eyes and revealed a simple truth.

"Out of all the candidates, Zae Debidan is considered to be one of a few that can have the highest chance of getting married to Lala-sama."

The boy blinked in surprise, his mouth started to form a small gap but it stopped halfway as Zastin cleverly added more explanation.

"As her royal bodyguard, I know Lala-sama treats every candidates as the same. Thus, she rejected them all so I can understand if you think those highest chance some of them hold couldn't amount to anything with the princess's personality."

"….."

"But please be careful this time around, Rito-dono. Zae Debidan, he is not someone you can judge base on both appearance and personality. Everything around that person is more than just meet the eyes."

A hint of nervous and worry filled in the commander's tone.

Upon noticing this, Rito raised up a hand to stop Zastin and for him to speak next. There was a lot of things that the boy found confusing.

"Zastin, thanks for telling me this but….why are you look so nervous."

"It's because…even for someone like me."

"…"

"That person is extremely dangerous."

" **My, oh my, Zastin-sama. Why are you saying like I'm a bad person?"**

Zastin froze on the spot. Immediately, he spun his head around along with Rito.

From the distance, on the edge of the wall which covered the household of the Yuuki family, the man with a weird sense of fashion was nonchalantly sitting on it.

The man lightly got himself off the edge of the wall and set his feet, which covered in a pair of shoes that similar to a gym one, only bigger size.

"Z…..Zae-dono!"

"Hearing you said that I'm dangerous in your eyes really brought some unpleasant feelings to me, you know. After all…"

"…"

With a bright smile has been readied for them and flashed on his face, Zae Debidan stared at the two in the small, green yard.

"I am a very decent person."

/

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, that would be the end of it.**

 **So what do you think about this chapter?**

 **I would glad to make my rambling a little bit more in this note but since it's midnight right now so...like Mikan-chan said, staying up late is not healthy.  
**

 **Better sleep now, a life with a job and some deadlines is a busy life.**

 **Review the chapter if you please. I'll see you again in the next note.**


	25. Chapter 25: Arrogant-Prince

****Phew! Took long enough to get back to the story.****

 ** **Hi guys, it has been a while. Without further ado, here is the the new chapter of TLR. Reviewer's respond section will be at the bottom.  
****

 ** **Enjoy~.****

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Love-Ru series.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 25:**

 **~Arrogant_Prince~**

"Don't you see, I am a very decent person."

The candidate spoke, calmly stressing the words as if it was a fact.

Zae Debidan jumped down from the wall, the grass beneath his foot barely let out a sound as he landed on it.

"That is no way to be fair when you talk behind someone's back, Zastin-sama. The guardian might have a bad impression about me."

Like being told by instinct, Zastin unconsciously took back a step while the boy next to him just stood there and watched the man approached them.

"Ah, my apology." The candidate slightly bow his head in polite."Making an appearance again out of the blue after taking my leave from the dinner must have startled you and it must have been rude. Please don't take this seriously, I just want to avoid misunderstandings and clear out some unjust rumors that was about to bring down my reputation."

Zastin was worried.

From the way he said, from the way he acted, this man in front of him had just made his presence known after he had listened to their entire conversation. The fact that the commander didn't even aware of him, who was watching them from such a close range, had triggered multiple alarm bells in his head.

It gave out an anxious vibe to the King Deviluke's right hand man.

…..this person….he truly is-

"I am not a dangerous person."

Zastin nearly jumped at Zae's words. As the commander stared at him in shock as to wonder how in the world this man could say those word like he had just read his thought.

"I heard what you were trying to say about me, Zastin-sama, and the look on your face said it all. To be honest, I'm actually a little bit hurt."

"Zae-dono, this is….."

"Oh no, there is no need to make an excuse."

"?!"

Zae put on his signature bright smile and continued.

"You see, there is something that still makes me wondering so I returned back here in order to satisfy this urge of seeking for an answer of mine. It might be rude, or even weird to do so since I had already taken my leave. But in order to reach my goal and to marry Lala, I must do this. I do hope you would forgive me for my slightly stubborn behavior."

He bowed his head down again but with a pose like a gentleman, which didn't suit with the strange style of the outfit he was wearing.

"I will do everything to win this trial and I will do it with all my compassion, righteous feeling for my dear Lala as a true rival."

Rito raised an eyebrow at the last word.

"Rival?"

"Yes, you heard me, Yuuki Rito-dono. My intention to marry Lala is very clear." Zae spread his arm."I am in love with her, I deeply care about her and there is nothing wrong with it."

The candidate clutched his hand and placed it in front of his chest like he was showing the true feeling which has tormented his mind till this day.

"Unlike those ill-intent rivals of my, who only care about the position and the wealth of the strongest empire in the galaxy, my intention purely come from these roughed beating in my chest when I first saw her back in the palace on planet Deviluke. That's why, I had vowed to marry Lala to keep her away from them."

With confidence, he said the next word out loud.

"With my position and status, I can protect Lala from everything! I will make her happy! For that, I assure you!"

Zae's speech surprised the boy.

For a candidate, he was indeed gave off a feeling that was different from the two previous candidates the boy had encountered before. He knew his way of using word to show his true feeling toward Lala. That confidence, unwavering look in his eyes demonstrated a part of the good intention he had within him.

….but…

But….something felt off.

Like a switch, his attitude changed. He acted different from when Lala was around.

Rito took a brief glanced at Zastin, who was literally watching the man in nervous. Some drops of sweat could be seen sliding down from his forehead.

"Rito-dono." The Devilukean commander whispered his name in a slightly trembling voice."Please act carefully around this person, he isn't-"

"However…!"

Suddenly, Zae interrupted them.

"Even so, despite my effort to participate and to play it fair and square with the others, someone has been secretly trying to ruin the trial king Deviluke has set up for every one of us candidates and willing to side with the guardian in the rumor in order to break the balance of the game so far."

The signature smile on Zae's face disappeared and a sharp glance was thrown at the commander.

"Zastin-sama, as a royal member of the Deviluke Empire, what do you have to say about this?" The said candidate pointed a finger at him, accused."You of all people should have known, the current relationship between the Deviluke Empire and my people is considered to be at the very top, an unshakable bond, the gem of a peaceful era that every other species in the galaxy should look up to and follow suit."

"…y-yes, I am well aware of i-"

"And yet right here, in front of the guardian. You spoke those accused words that clouded his mind about my perfect, shining, gentlemanly image. What do you think would happen if I….accidently….speak this to my father, the king of planet Debian?" In a taunting way, Zae stretched the words through his gritting teeth."A close friend of king Deviluke."

He was posing a threat to the number one sword man of the strongest race in the galaxy. But despite carrying the title of the best Devilukean's sword user, Zastin kept looking down at the grass and sweating a lot as Zae's word kept coming and coming at a rapid rate.

"Zae-dono….I….."

"Such a disappointment, to think someone who has a lot of expectation from the king such as you would do such a thing to me, Lala's future husband. Zastin-sama, do you think this is fair?"

The commander couldn't utter a word. Somehow, Rito got a feeling like he was watching a Chihuahua found itself trapped inside a lion's claw.

"Do you really believe that you have the right to interfere with the trial your great king has set up for me to pass and succeed? You role is to protect my dear Lala, not sabotaging our path to romance and happiness."

Zae sounded overly confident that he would definitely succeed this trial effortlessly. Unlike back then, his composure as a gentleman seemed to have been casted aside and let the anger took over. And now he was forcing it upon Zastin.

There was another thing….

Why did the commander just stand there and let himself be scolded by the candidate?

Protect and not sabotage? His role? Those words was not very reasonable to let it pass.

"While you are a high status person such as myself and a royal member as that, the king's right-hand man as that". The candidate continued to mock."Ever since that embarrassing mistake at the palace, you decided to choose another failure choice of your life once more."

…..embarrassing mistake?

The word caught the orange haired boy's attention.

"I supposed I cannot let things stay as they are, I'm afraid I might have to sort this out with my father."

"W-What?!" Zastin grew paled.

"I will tell him that you dared to talk behind my back, lower my reputation, insulting my image in front of Yuuki Rito-dono here, which causing my participation in this trial has become for nothing. And that in itself is no good, those who break the rule shall be punished."

"Zae-dono….I was just-"

"I expected more from one of Lala's personal bodyguard. You had your second chance, Zastin-sama but you have wasted it. To tell the truth, I would have open my heart to forgive you, but since you have not only insulted me but also secretly cooperated with the guardian to ruin my marriage with Lala, I don't have much choice."Zae Debidan sighed and put on a sarcastic smile."I wonder what the King would do to you when my father talks to him about this?"

Giving up, Zastin closed his eyes by the amount of pressure the candidate put on him, he couldn't do nothing but look down at his feet and prepare his fate, accepting the upcoming punishment that awaited him in the future.

So that, the curtain of his life, his title as the number one Devilukean sword man, his role as Lala's personal bodyguard would come to an end….

…..I guess…my role is over then…..

It's time for him to step down from this position that he has attached for so long. But…..

" **You're wrong."**

There was one person who wouldn't let it happen so easily.

No, it will never happen.

"?"

"?!"

"Zae Debidan….-san, I listened. You're saying Zastin has ruined your chance of getting marry to Lala. You're saying you will force him to step down as Lala's body guard by reporting this back to your father because he has insulted you." Rito stepped in between the two, stared straight into the surprised gaze of the candidate."Well, I don't see it that way though."

"Rito-dono…." Zastin looked bewildered.

"Oh my, Yuuki Rito-dono, are you saying I made a wrong accusation?"

"Yes."

"Such firm and determined answer, do you think you know him more than me? Enlighten me, which part in my words you think was wrong?" Zae's sarcastic smile disappeared, replacing by a hint of annoyance slowly spread on his face.

Seemed like the gentleman's true nature was about to be exposed.

"I don't know anything about the story between you two but just now you've been more than just unreasonable."

"Oh, how so?"

The boy took a brief glanced at the window above the second floor, the room where he and Mikan has prepared for Lala to move in ever since the alien girl started her new life on Earth. By now, the girl were probably sleeping and unaware of what was happening in the yard.

"Zae Debidan-san, have you ever considered how Lala felt when she was forced to choose and marry one of the candidates?"

"Of course, it broke my heart to hear that. For the person whom I am in love with, that is a terrible circumstance." Zae nodded to Rito's word."That is part of the reason why I join in this trial. I want to free her and stay by her side so she can be happy with me."

A frown slowly made itself visible on the boy's expression as the confident tone left Zae's sly mouth while he displayed the ever signature bright smile.

"Have you ever considered how Lala would think about you if you blame Zastin for violating something that has never existed to begin with?"

Zae widened his eyes, slightly as he heard the question.

"What are you trying to imply, guardian?"

"What I'm trying to say is…since when this trial has a rule?"

The candidate startled at first then with a smug grin, he laughed out loud.

"Ahahaha! Such a foolish argument!"

"….."

"And here I thought my dear Lala's guardian would be a smart individual since he claimed that he has found flaws in my speech." The laughing soon died down."Ah~, just like what I have expected from an Earthling, very narrowed mind. It looks like this trial is easier than I thought it would be."

Resisting another crackling smile, Zae covered his mouth for a while and regained his gentlemanly composure.

"My apology, but it seems some of my words has fell on your deaf ear, Yuuki Rito-dono. This trial, this challenge actually has a rule." Zae made a toothy grin and spread wide his arm."Because I asked my father for it."

….huh?

Rito made a dumbfounded look.

"With my father's influence, with the connection between planet Deviluke and Debian. I made the rule as I am in this trial. When I asked him to-"

"…." The boy scratched his head and watched the self-conceited alien guy played his own monologue.

Rito really has nothing to say…..or more like he didn't know how to react to this.

From what he could remember, Ghi Bree and Pryuma also showed him the same behavior when he confronted them. Luckily, it wasn't anywhere near the level of this self-proclaimed gentleman here.

This is beyond the level of just being overconfident.

Just how self-important this guy is? Was it a common trait shared among the candidates?

"Zastin."

"Yes, Rito-dono."

Despite Zae was speaking passionately about whatever the topic, the guardian decided to literally ignore him for a moment and turned to the Devilukean's commander.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything but….." Rito pointed a finger at his self-proclaimed "rival"."Has this person always been like this?"

Zastin sweat dropped at the question and he just nodded.

"For everything I demand…no, for everything I wish for, father will always accept my offer and help me with-"

"You two seem to have history together. If you don't mind, can you tell me more about him?"

At this point, the candidate was completely being ignored.

"Zae-dono is actually the oldest son of King Jae Debidan, the first prince of planet Debian. A place where technology is only one step behind Deviluke." The commander explained."From what I have heard, he is destined to be the next successor of his father. As king Jae is known as a man who adores his children more than anything else, he has done everything in his power to satisfy his son's demand. At some points, the king raised his son to become a gentleman just like his father."

So that was why he acted so confident.

….he depends on his father's influence.

"Since his father has been willing to satisfy everything he asked for…as you can see….he...he….." Zastin stammered lightly, he took a quick glance at the candidate for safety caution then whispered into Rito's ear."….he became spoiled…"

A spoiled gentleman, quite a troublesome individual.

…...trouble comes at you in all kind of forms….huh.

"Therefore with his help, I rushed here to this remote region with my most proud masterpiece. Father will do anything I wish for, so there's no need to wait for an answer. It's obvious that I has officially become the one to set the rule for this challenge, my father will make my wish come true and I will make it happen." Finished his long monologue, Zae pointed straight at Rito, completely unaware of the conversation he just had with Zastin."Yuuki Rito-dono, I'm afraid to break your heart with this, but your defeat has been decided the moment I stepped into the game. For Lala's happiness I will-"

He kept talking, extending the detail of his scheme that no one seemed to pay any heel for.

Rito couldn't help but look at Zae with a pair of blank eyes.

Looked like someone has been spoiled a little bit too much.

"He is spoiled, Rito-dono. But as I have said before, please be careful around this person." Zastin whispered again."Do not let your guard down."

"?"

"Even though he looks like this, Zae-dono actually has talents that lots of people has acknowledged him for even among the royal members of Debian and Deviluke."

"Talents…..?"

"Yes, Zae-dono is-"

"And that is my plan! I used the connection, the politic relationship between king Deviluke and my father to gain the advantage for my own! My perfect stepping stone to marry Lala and lead her to happiness!"

Suddenly, Zae spoke out loud, interrupting the commander….again.

"Now tell me, Yuuki Rito-dono, guardian in the rumor." A grin ran across the candidate's smug look."What can you hope to accomplish for now that everything is not in your favor? What can you do to stop me from bringing happiness to my dear Lala? Nothing! Nothing you can do because the rules has been set! Fate has been decided! I have been chosen! The destiny that awaits me and Lala has become clear like the reflection of this beautiful moonlight."

Looking at the moon and the whole night sky, the dangerous candidate held high his already spread arm as if he has claimed all of it for himself. With a satisfied look on his face, Zae declared the inevitable result.

"Victory has become mine."

He had the politic connection.

He held a higher social status.

He received an endless support from his king, his father.

Zae thought there is nothing that he could not gain, he thought highly of himself.

What he wanted, he could just afford to speak a few simple word with king Jae and leave the rest for the other to do it for him. Therefore, he just simply waited for the desired outcome to happen and enjoyed it.

As long as he held this position in hand, he could make anything possible.

That was what the spoiled gentleman thought to himself. He believed everything was in his favor.

But for a spoiled person, certainly didn't know the limit of the boundary they have crossed will eventually lead them to a consequence.

Through time, overly dependence might as well turns up as a common result.

A bad way to live for an ignorant gentleman.

" **Sho tsat wash your plan om sthe very beginish, hum."**

"?!"

Spoken in a way like someone was too busy to properly swallow the food down their throat, an alien-ish statement made it ways to everyone's ear.

Surprised but also confused, hearing those incomprehensible words, everyone all turned to the glass door, which has been left opened for sometimes.

Ito was leaning his shoulder on the door frame as he was just about to intercept the talk from earlier.

The partial white haired alien boy was also there, standing next to him. Ren has finally woke up although his expression still had a little bit of tiredness lingered on.

For some reason, his mouth was stuffed with food.

As they has listened to those arrogant words by Zae, it was time for them to step in.

Ren was the most eager one to do this though, since he stole the first word right out of Ito's mouth before he could open his to speak.

"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh." Ren said again coolly as he finally took time to properly swallow the food while keeping his gaze on the surprised candidate.

Well, too late for that.

"Ren, if only you said those words before stuffing all the food inside your mouth you could have at least earned yourself a cool moment, you know that." Ito said dryly, not intended to make a bad tsukkomi joke. But if there was a paper fan in his hand, Ito would have used it to hit Ren's head either way."It's a rare occasion, too bad."

With Ren finally awoke to face Zae again.

With Ito came to his little brother's add.

The second meeting between the guardian and the sly candidate gentleman eventually came to the next level.

A new challenge awaited.

…

…

 **Knock Knock Knock!**

"Lala-san."

After a few knocks on the door, Mikan opened it and took a peek into Lala's room. Through the gap, she saw the alien girl was still awake and appeared to do something in front of her laptop-liked invention.

"Ah~, Mikan. Come on in~." Her cheerful voice depicted that the girl still had a lot of energy to do stuff before she could feel sleepy."What do you need?"

"Lala-san, you're not going to sleep yet? It's nearly time to go to bed."

"Just a moment, I'm almost finished." Right after the girl turned to reply, the laptop-liked invention emitted a ringing noise."Yes~! 10% completed, things are all done for today!"

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, I've just worked on my new-" Lala stopped midway as something on Mikan's hands caught her attention."Mikan, are those….?"

She was looking at the pillow and a blanket the little sister carried with her from her own room.

"Ah…this." Mikan hugged the pillow in her arms, her cheek slightly turned red."Can we sleep together for the night? There are so many things I want to talk to with Lala-san."

"Sleep together?" The girl titled her head and a replied soon came."Ok~, but what happens to your room?"

"Well, it's just for tonight. I want to know more about Lala-san since we are living together." Mikan placed the blanket and the pillow next to Lala's and lied down comfortably."And besides, I also think Lala-san would want to know more about Rito so before we go to sleep, let's have a girl talk~."

"Heh~, that sounds fun." Shutdown the device, Lala pulled up her blanket and lied down next to Mikan.

"It is."

The younger sister smiled and took a brief glanced at the window where the curtain has been let down.

…...I hope nothing bad will happen.

Mikan knew about what was happening right down there in the yard, ever since the candidate has showed up right in front of their doorstep, Mikan began to worry about Lala's safety.

So now that the candidate came back for the second time just after dinner, she knew that she would have to stick close to Lala to look after her in Rito's stead.

… _ **.."Stay close to Lala, Mikan. I'm going to help Rito to deal with that sly alien."…**_

Mikan recalled those words Ito spoke to her before he walked out there with the alien boy after the latter finished his dinner in a hurry.

For now, she would leave it to her two older brothers to deal with the trouble down there and help them to keep Lala's safe.

Although that was the plan Ito had told her, the girl still couldn't help but feel like her brother was trying to keep both her and Lala away from the upcoming danger.

…...I'm counting on you both, onii-chan.

In her mind, Mikan silently cheered for her two idiotic brothers.

"Mikan."

"….a-ah, yes! What it is, Lala-san?"

"You're spacing out, did something happen?"

"Ah, no…..nothing really." Mikan smiled while she waved her hand back and forth to deny." Alright then, Lala-san, do you want to ask first or I'll be the one to ask first?"

"Okay, let me go first~. I want to know everything about Rito~."

"Then I'll make sure to give you everything I know about him~."

The two girls happily talked about many topic not until a moment later that they soon fell asleep.

Lucky for them, outside, the atmosphere around the yard started to get even more tensed by the second.

….

….

"My, what a turn of event."Zae bowed down his head while making the greeting posture of a gentleman. At this moment, it wasn't much effective as the two boys showed no reaction and just stared at him uninterested."Pardon me again for coming back without telling anything beforehand. But as you can see, our friendly conversation is almost over. Everything has already been decided, the winner shall claim what will belong to them."

"Sorry to say this but I don't think so." Before anyone else could say anything, Ren quickly opened his mouth to argue."This conversation will not be over until we show you how ridiculous your word is."

"Oh~, is that another insult I'm hearing. I'll make sure to tell this to my father as well." Zae smiled brightly. However, unlike before, that smiling face he always put on like a mask suddenly twisted into anger with his teeth gritting tightly."Ridiculous? Insolent! Your presence here is actually the most ridiculous thing I've never seen in my entire life, you **girly prince**!"

"?!"

….hm?

….girly prince?

The Yuuki twin raised their eyebrows, didn't expect of such a strange word.

As for Ren, the one who those word was directed at, felt in deep shocked for his pride has been trampled.

"Girly prince?" The word slowly sunk in."Who are you calling girly?! I am a man!"

"Doesn't matter what you are or how you see yourself as. My opinion is valuable more than your mere existence. Please do not bother to start a conversation with me, I am in the middle of talking with the guardian."

...don't bother to….does that mean he will ignore everything I say?!

"…you, so this is your true face, Zae Debidan!" Ren pointed at him."You acted like a decent gentleman around Lala-chan, you make it sound like you care about her with all those cheeky "I love her" lines but the truth is you are just like every other candidates!"

"Silence, girly prince! You shouldn't have the right to talk to me. Have I made that clear? You and your efforts of trying to show off that you are a man to my Lala are all rubbish."

Ren widened his eyes in bewilderment.

"You….my effort…..how did you-"

Rito observed carefully.

Something just changed, Zae seemed to have lost all the composure of a gentleman when Ren was arguing with him.

It wasn't just only that.

Ito narrowed his eyes as he also realized something else, too. Although Ren didn't seem to know anything about Zae but the candidate appeared to know him well enough to mention all those effort he put on to train himself better in the emerald green eyes of the girl the alien boy has a crush on.

"Lala is my wife, someone who is not even worth to be called a man like you are better off, away from her! Do you understand?"

As if it was not enough to piss off everyone there with his arrogant personality, Zae even changed his way of addressing Lala right on the spot. From my dear straight up to my wife, overly confidence must has been an understatement from this point onward.

Ren could feel his entire body was shaking in frustration. The partial white haired boy tried to restraint a scowl appear on his expression by the insult the man spoke through his usual annoyingly confident, mocking tone.

As for the Devilukean commander, he just closed his eyes, hearing those word from Zae gave him a discomfort feeling.

Zastin didn't show it but it was clear that he was absolutely not feeling comfortable when Zae called the Devilukean princess like that. He wanted to retort but since this is now a matter between the guardian and the candidates, he couldn't do anything and remained silent.

…this is unforgivable, isn't there anything I could do?!

What Zae said was true, he didn't have the right to interfere. All he could do now was to count on the young Earthlings to help his princess.

Zastin looked down on the ground, his eyes saddened. He felt ashamed.

…..Rito-dono, it seems I can't continue to support you any longer.

They emerged, those word in his thought that Zastin tried to say. For now, he could only apologize the guardian in the rumor for he could not share the burden of bringing freedom to his princess.

This was a matter between the candidates and the guardians.

He, as a royal member and Lala's personal bodyguard, has never had any role in it, not even the permission to interfere.

There was only one objective the Emperor has given to him.

Yes, his job was nothing but one particular mission.

" **Protecting Lala and following her wish."**

"?!"

The silver haired man jolted at the sudden mention of his inner thought.

Those words came from the orange haired boy himself, Yuuki Rito.

"Zastin, all this time, that's what you have always been doing, isn't it?" Rito looked straight into the commander's eyes, speaking like he saw through the emotion showed deep within.

"Rito-dono, I….."

"I said this earlier, didn't I? I don't know what happened between you and that person right there. I know nothing about it, but what I know is that the thing he said about you not doing your job properly is entirely wrong." The boy's eyes softened as he shook his head."You don't have to let his words get to you so please don't put on such a sad face, you haven't done anything wrong."

"But I did support you and Lala-sama's wish." The man look at his hand, forming a fist. A wave of frustration hit him."I protect her but I'm also interfering the challenge, breaking the balance the king has set up. Zae-dono was right about that."

"…" Rito remained silent, scratching his cheek with a finger for a while.

While the argument between Zae and Ren has entered a very sensitive phrase where each of them didn't even show mercy and throw insult at each other, Rito and Zastin didn't seem to pay any attention to it as the matter of focus has shifted to the commander's issue.

Seeing the boy has nothing to say, Zastin took a deep breath.

"I suppose no one can deny it. I have committed a great sin against my king and failed as Lala-sama's bodyguard." The commander came up with a resolve, slightly depressed."Perhaps it's about time I should step down from this position and leave it to my subordinates."

"I don't get why you and that guy think that you are interrupting the trial. Isn't that's just a part of your job as Lala's royal bodyguard and you are just simply following her wish? Where is the wrong in that?"

…huh?

Zastin opened wide his eyes in surprise as Ito decided to break his depressing mood.

"A family bodyguard's job is not always a one simple task as protecting, there is also another task they must know." Ito pointed at the window on the second floor, giving the commander a hint that he was talking about Lala."Doing what is best for the one they are protecting."

"!"

"So to sum it up, ever since the moment you set foot on this planet and till this day, you haven't done anything wrong with your job as Lala's bodyguard, Zastin." Ito gave the man a thumb up."You are following Lala's wish and doing what is best for her. That is for sure."

Rito smiled kindly.

"We both know that much."

Zastin finally understood something about the mission the Devilukean Emperor has assigned him for.

Protecting and following princess Lala's wish.

It was the simple task he was given.

…..I see it now…..I'm such an idiot.

Tonight, he has almost thrown himself down at the end of the wall due to Zae Debidan's threatening. However, thanks to these two Earthling boys, he came to realize how mistaken he was to think of himself like that.

"Thank you, Rito-dono, Ito-dono."

Zastin straightened himself up, didn't forget to thanks them with a small smile. The aura of the almighty number one sword man of Deviluke has finally returned back to him.

"It's nothing." The twin replied in syn.

Now that was one discomfort has been cleared away.

All that left was that troubling gentleman behind them.

The three turned back to deal with the matter at hand but instantly sweat dropped.

"You….*gasp*….I began to show you my mercy by throwing less heavy insulted words at you and yet you still stubbornly…*gasp*….keep barking at me with such vulgar attitude." Zae patted his chest several before he continued, he was out of breath due to constantly throwing insults at Ren without a stop."Didn't you parent at planet Memorze teach you the manner of speaking to a highly social status, important person such as…*gasp*… myself, you girly prince!"

"Heh, I don't want to…*gasp*….there's no point in using manner for someone who always think so highly of himself and have no common sense, freely bending the rules so it would be fair to only you….*gasp*….we've already known your true face, Zae Debidan. Drop you half-hearted acting and stop calling me a girly prince!"

On the other hand, Ren was the same as he was taking in some deep breath.

These two didn't show any mercy at each other and there was still no sigh that they would stop.

"Well, enough of this!"

Finally, somebody actually decided to stop this meaningless argument. Zae suddenly spoke louder while he straightened his pose, probably could not stand for this.

"This is childish, arguing with you will get me to nowhere. Such a waste of my time, before this night could get any bit more annoying thanks to your presence here. I suppose it is about time I should hurry to get my winning prize right away and then take my leave, away from this uncivilized planet."

Uncivilized and winning prize, those two words tickled the twin's nerves.

…..not only spoiled but also rotten to the core, I see.

…he's starting to show his true color.

"You're not going near Lala-chan." Ren rushed at him and pierce the man's eyes with his fierce gaze, hearing Zae referred to his crush as a prize made his blood boiled.

"Out of my way, you pathetic prince!" Zae didn't fade, his aggressiveness was put on full display as he violent pushed Ren felt down the grassy ground and approached the house.

Not even a hint of generous remained in him, anything left of a gentleman personality has gone.

He has short-temper, just like Pryuma.

As the aggressive gentleman was about to reach to the glass door, the orange haired boy stood in front of him, stopping his track.

"Yuuki Rito, haven't you heard what I said? I have already won, trying to pull off another attempt to protect my wife Lala is no use. Please accept the harsh truth and stand on the side so I can go get my wife."

"….."

The boy stood still, didn't move an inch.

From aggressive quickly turned to anger, the candidate grabbed the boy's collar.

"Do not make me repeat myself! With my influence I can tell this to my father and have him obliterates this planet from existence so do as I say, guardian! You have failed!"

Those words that filled with self-conceited ego, he shouted them in Rito's face.

"…."

The boy won't move, he stood his ground like a gatekeeper.

"!" Patience ran out, Zae shoved the boy toward the glass door.

….

 **Smashed!**

The shattering noise of a cup echoed all over the room as it accidently felt down from the table.

A certain black spiky haired boy froze as he stared at the mess caused by his misfortune. A moment later, his jaw dropped and the boy clutched his head like he was in "great pain".

"Oh no! No, not the cup! Not the one Komoe-sensei gave me as a present for making it into high school!" Anime tears won't stop flowing out from Daigo Madoka's eyes."Such misfortune."

The boy hopelessly fell down on all four.

Next to him, a young nun in white habit, who was eating a cake the boy just made for her, put the fork down. She reached out and gently patted his head in consideration.

...

 **Cracked!**

A breaking sound echoed as Zae shoved the orange haired boy into the door made of glass behind him.

But the glass didn't broke nor did the boy's back hit it.

Something else was broke.

And something strange happened.

…..wh-what is this?

Zae Debidan was shocked and confused at the same time.

….he…..he won't budge!

Even though he had just used brute force to violently push him out of his way, Zae couldn't force the boy to move from where he stood.

Even now his hands were still grabbing the collar tightly, full of threatening, that once soft gaze instantly turned sharp of the boy still hadn't wavered at the slightest.

Resorting to use both hands, Zae tried to push the boy away again but the same thing happened.

Rito simply won't budge, steady like a wall.

 **Cracked!**

Another breaking sound echoed.

Zae noticed it came from below him. As he looked down to check, his eyes slowly went wide in shock.

One spot of the wooden platform has cracked and it was right beneath Rito's feet.

It sunk in as if it couldn't not afford to hold against the amount of weight that was extremely heavy.

"Don't even think of trying to break into my house."

Startled as the boy suddenly spoke, Zae shot his confused gaze back on Rito's face. What he saw was a sharp glint pierced through his deepest thought.

"You are selfish, you think highly of yourself. You said you love Lala with all your heart but you see her as nothing but a winning prize. You said you consider her feelings but the truth is nothing matters to you as long as you can take and claim whatever you want. Not only that, you entirely depend on others to do stuff for you rather than doing it on your own. Someone like you….."

In that moment when Rito converted all his thoughts into word, his body automatically moved as he let emotion took over.

The right hand, which was wrapped in bandage, stretched out to Zae and stopped until it touched the fabric of his clothe.

"….someone horrible like you don't have the right to marry Lala."

Immediately, from out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind appeared, coming from every directions. It flew over the trees, the small garden and surrounded the entire house.

Following the sudden appearance of the strange behavior of weather, Zae got thrown out of the wooden platform when the strong wind changed its current and charged at him like a typhoon. Quick to recover his momentum, Zae Debidan managed to keep his balance altogether.

….where are those winds coming from?

Zae looked around the yard frantically, the atmosphere died down as the wind has gone.

The candidate was the only one who felt shock after witnessing such a strange occurrence.

…w….what just happen…..?

Zastin threw his head from left to right, a hint of shock and surprise lingered on the commander's face as he had no idea what just happened. The mysterious phenomenon just came and disappeared as if it was a supernatural force.

Ren, too, also felt shock…..but the reason was different.

He has seen it all.

…..was that…

All of that happened…..

….Yuuki Rito's doing…?

All of that happened due to Rito made one slow and smooth movement of pushing his right hand forward.

When that hand made contact with Zae's clothe and pressed in further, that sudden gust of wind came.

Yuuki Rito simply tried to push Zae away from there.

He was just an ordinary human, Ren knew that much.

What happened could only go with one acceptable explanation, coincidence.

But…..

Was it just a coincidence?

Or was it just his imagination?

Or…..was there something else about the Earthling boy known as the guardian in the rumor? Was there an aspect that he and everyone outside the solar system hadn't come to know of yet?

"Eh? Ahhh! The platform broke! How come?!" Just when Ren started to suspect the mysterious aura around the orange haired boy, Rito suddenly screamed in full panic mode as he realized the spot under his feet was broke."Oh no, it's not because of my fault, isn't it? How am I supposed to explain this to Mikan?!"

The boy sent the "help me!" gaze toward his older brother.

Unfortunately for him, help won't come. The brown haired boy's face has also gone really paled at the time and he just shook his head left right in denial.

"Can't help you! I'm not going to get involved! I'm standing on the grass so I'm innocent!"

Looking at this, Ren was dumbstruck. It didn't take long for him to change his mind.

…..maybe it was just my imagination then.

Now back to where we left off.

Apparently, Zae's short temper has already shot off the chart due to Rito's action.

"You dare to push me by those filthy hands of yours, guardian?!" The spoiled prince dusted off the part of his clothe where the boy's right hand just pressed on."Do you wish for your home world to be annihilated that much?!"

Unwavering, the orange haired boy narrowed his eyes at the threat, he stepped down from the platform and stood right in front of Zae. The sharp gaze that was once appeared inside his eyes became even fiercer and somehow…deadlier, causing the candidate to staggered back in surprise.

"You are not welcomed here, Zae." He raised an arm to the side and pointed at the wall where Zae made his entrance into this yard."The exit is that way. Leave this place and don't ever come back, Lala's happiness isn't for you to decide."

A shocking expression expanded across Zae, clearly the man was feeling so much frustration after hearing that.

"I am the prince of planet Debian, the next successor to my father. You, a lowly and unworthy, pathetic excuse of an existence just like that girly prince there dare to speak those words to me?" Zae's eyes darkened."You should have known your place better, guardian. If it wasn't for my wife, I will see this behavior as a declaration of war."

He grabbed the boy's collar and lifted him up so he could only feel the ground with his tip toe. But of course, as it the boy would let that happen so easily. The faked gentleman struggled to pull him to his tip toe and failed to do so. By giving up, he ignored the strange shift in the Earthling boy's weight and kept voicing the manifestation of his anger.

"One word, one simple word I speak to my father then you, your friends and this blasted planet of yours will reduce to space dust." In a rude way, he pushed the boy back to the wooden platform. Again, he didn't able to do so and it greatly fueled his anger.

…..w-what is wrong with this Earthling?! I tried to push him but he didn't even move an inch, he's like a wall.

Having enough of this, Zae has no choice but to take back a few steps. Everyone was watching him.

"I will give you one last chance, guardian. Withdraw those insolent words, apologize to me and stand aside obediently so I can come get my wife then we can leave this place together."

The guardian tightened his fist.

"No." Firmly said the boy, a simple answer.

"I see." Taking a deep breath, Zae said slowly. One of his hand trailed deep inside his pocket."My oh my, I guess I will have to do this by force then."

A "click" was heard, Rito blinked at it came to his ear.

No one could predict it, in a moment where the quiet night was still young, its silence has been broke by the sound of an engine.

Rito, Ito, Ren and Zastin quickly perked up their heads and looked at a transparent, glowing outline spread on top the household. Along with the engine sound, those glowing lights flowed through mid-air like waves until the form of a spaceship has finally visible to naked eyes.

This was what Zae meant when he decided to use force.

"Wha-….a spaceship?!" Ren was the first to voice out his thought, he glared at the candidate, completely disbelieving in what he just did."You! We are in the remote legion of the galaxy! Are you trying to break the Council's rules?!"

"Zae-dono, what are you trying to do by exposing your ship in the middle of an Earthling's town?!" Zastin shouted at him. Same as Ren, he was panic since Zae was just about to violate one of the most important rules he knew too well about.

"Silence! I am bounded by no one rules! It is the great Zae Debidan-sama to make the rule and have everyone follow it! With my father, I can demand anything! If you won't let me take my wife from this filthy slum you called a house, I will use my own ship to make you all kneel down and take her with me!" He pointed at the orange haired boy, grinning all he wanted as victory was in his grasp."Yuuki Rito, this is the end of the trial. It's also the end for you and this planet. Right after I have taken Lala back to my home planet, I will speak to my father and have this entire solar system disappear from the galaxy map!"

Just as he said that, a monstrous hurricance appeared.

In a flash, it blew the entire spaceship above the clouds. The things was threw out the orbit with such amazing speed that no normal human's eyes could manage to follow.

As Zae stood dumbfounded to make his brain progress what in the world just happened again, his ship has already disappeared into the dark sky where only the glittering stars could be seen.

A second later, the wind died down, its trait left by leafs, dust and grass flew everywhere in the yard. Zastin was confusing and he could only gasp, unlike the dumb look Zae was making. Ren was shocked either way, however, he was quick to recover and glanced at his rival. He seemed to have found something far more surprising than the sudden disappearance of the candidate's ship or the sudden change in weather.

He saw Rito stretching his right arm toward the heaven, palm fully opened. The boy immediately retracted, rubbing the palm as he observed the arrogant candidate.

…..don't tell me…..that was actually his doing?

Right now, Ren found his curiosity toward the mysterious aura surrounded the orange haired boy became even more attentive than before.

…Yuuki Rito, who are you…really?

"…my….my ship…." Zae muttered, couldn't help but kept himself flabbergasting all over.

"For someone who is always asking other to do things for them instead of doing it by themselves, sometime, not everything will go their way especially when it comes to changing the rules of a trial."

Breaking the confusing state of others, Ito spoke up as he walked toward the candidate. The boy confronted him directly, between them, an arm length served as the last distance one could easily break to step in their private zone.

"In the beginning, there was no rule. If there was, it would be the only two simplest rules set by the king." Ito pointed his thumb at his young brother."First, my brother must protects Lala from the likes of you and second, you candidates can have the obligation to challenge us anytime you want. Win, you can take Lala away. Lose, you can either give up or prove to us how much you desire her happiness over your own life."

Those were the simplest rules the Devilukean's Emperor has set up for the trial where his daughter's freedom will be decided as the guardian's capabilities were put to the test.

No one can have the right to change it, not even one of his closest friends could have the authority to decide it.

"Let me guess, you must have talked to your father over some communicate devices, haven't you? You asked king Jae to persuade Lala's father to make a change to the rules so it would be benefit to only you. You did all of it after you left our house, correct?" Zae grimaced at his words, which was just the cue the young Earthling wanted to see."You said you were here to meet Lala, but you also planned to check on the guardian in the rumor. After getting to know us, you decided to make a move, saying farewell after dinner but that was just an excuse."

"Yes, as you said, I did. So what about it?"

"Tell me, right after you making your demand to your father, what did he tell you?"

Strangely, Zae jolted a bit but remained silent at the question.

"He didn't just say as you wish my son and shut the call, did he?" Noticing a small waver hinted deep in his eyes, Ito gave him another push toward the edge."He spoke a few words to you and you couldn't believe in what he said."

That was enough to make him enraged.

"Enough of this! Stop your nonsense rambling, Earthling! My father will always fulfill what I want, he will always provide me what I need because I am his next successor. No one in the royal family of Debian is befitting to the throne other than me!" The prince of planet Debian started spatting at the brown haired boy, grabbing his collar and shook him back and forth repeatedly.

Zae didn't want him to say any more word, he tried to shut Ito's mouth off. His anger has nearly reached its limit, was this what they called emo? Or was it something else that Zae didn't dare to let the boy finish.

"….."

Knowing he was standing on the edge, Ito decided to keep silent. Zae shoved him away, taking in deep breath to calm himself down.

"?" The slightest hint of emotion he was making didn't escape Rito's golden eyes.

…..he looks….relief?

"This is such a humiliation, I have never felt this way before! You better be careful with the next word comes out from your mouth, Yuuki Ito. I will never let this slide."

"Same to you. You're so full of yourself."

"What?"

"This is a late warning, choose your word wisely before you speak again about Lala and how you try to make changes to this trial."

Zae clicked his tongue, ignoring the brown haired boy's words and turned to Rito. He didn't want to deal with this absurd situation any longer, he needed to claim his dear wife right here and right now. The Debian prince quickly moved past the boy but just like before, the guardian never let him get the chance to reach the house.

"Out of the way, Yuuki Rito!"

Seeing the candidate didn't seem to let go of his attention of taking Lala away, the prince of planet Memorze once again acted by standing in between him and Rito.

"You are not going near Lala-chan!" Ren's hot pink eyes burned brightly with determination."Leave this place now, Zae! You've already violated the council's rule. It's better for Lala-chan not to meet you!"

Those words caused Zae to grit his teeth. Eventually, the self-proclaimed gentleman gave in to his short-tempered nature.

The atmosphere took a sudden change.

…

…

Ren found himself stared at everyone up-sided down. The spot where he just stood a second ago was in his view. His back was sore upon the strong impact his body collided with the solid wall.

The boy blinked his eyes in confusion while the pain on his face slowly filled his mind.

This was done by none other than the hot-headed candidate. Before anyone could react in time, Zae slapped him across the cheek as he went into a stance liked posture and pulled Ren's entire body up in the air, throwing him over half the yard. That slap caught Ren by surprise, never did he thought Zae would use this kind of violence to someone.

Knowing both came with the same background, born into a royal family, Ren had expected Zae to at least be more civilized in his moment of anger.

Turned out he was wrong.

…..he just slapped me…

He gave him such a strong, brutal slap on the cheek that for a moment he felt dizzy as his head spun to the side.

Ren's eyes became watery, his hand slowly reached to the swelling spot on his cheek.

…that bastard….he slapped me…

For the Memorzorian, their body contains two consciousness that always connect to each other. Everything the current self are experiencing, the other self could also experience them as well. The smell, the feeling, the touch, the thoughts and of course, the pain.

In his head, he could hear Run's sobbing voice due to the pain. He felt it so she could feel it, too. It was really hurt.

However, that would also mean…

…..he slapped Run…..

Inside his vision which blurry half way by the tears, he saw Zae staring down at him with a sly smile as if saying "You deserved that, you girly prince.". Zastin's mouth was gaping as a pure shock expression took over his face.

As for the twin, they all widened their eyes with the same expression, bewildered by Zae's violent nature. For a moment, those pair of eyes were filled with worry.

Then, very quick, a sharp glint appeared in them, especially the golden one, intensely sharp like the edge of a knife.

Then….there was aggression.

"Hah! You deserved that, you girly prince." Without a hint of regret in his voice, Zae said it in satisfaction."Trying to get in my way."

"Zae-dono! You have gone overboard with this! How can you resort to such a violent act?!" Zastin finally broke out of his shocked state."Your father taught you to behave like a gentleman, why did that to Ren-dono?!"

As a royal knight, Zastin could not simply let this go unjust, especially if the one Inflicted injure on someone else was a marriage candidate of his princess. He vowed to follow Lala's wish, so now is the time for him to act.

"Oh~, so what are you going to do to me, Zastin? Don't speak to me like we are on equal term, have you forgot about how you insulted me at the palace and even this time? During this trial?!" Zae was so enraged that he didn't even care to add honorific after the Devilukean commander's name.

"No, I haven't forgot about it and I deeply apologize for what I had done to you. But right now, things are different."

Being threaten by the candidate as he reminded him of his past mistake, Zastin has nearly lost his sight of the righteousness he carried on his shoulder as the royal bodyguard of princess Lala. But thanks to those Earthlings, those twin, he realized that his role wasn't something so light that he could easily throw away down the road.

So…

Zastin came to a conclusion, he did what he has always do. Protect Lala from danger.

"Zae-dono, not only did you violated the council's rule but also dare to speak of the princess as some kind of winning reward. For that, you have insulted the royal family of planet Deviluke." Zastin drew his sword, a shined green light reflected from it."I, as Lala-sama bodyguard, hereby declare that I will not allow you to go near the princess and I demand you to cease your violent behavior immediately."

"My my, you want to oppose me? The superior Zae Debidan-sama?" Zae chuckled darkly."I am a very decent person. But tonight, that decent self of my broke, my pride has been insulted so badly all because of you, that girly prince and these weak Earthlings who called themselves my wife's guardian. Fine, I shouldn't have expected more from you, Zastin. From now on, I will resort to brute force. Do you all thing you can pull me down to your disgraceful level of existence?"

"I have prepared myself to consult with king Jae after this, punishment is unavoidable when facing you. However, my priority will never change, I will protect Lala-sama from a dangerous person such as you."

Zastin readied his sword. Zae also went back into his strange fighting stance.

Their gaze pierced each other like sparks. A clash was about to happen.

"…"

But…

Those two seemed to have forgot.

There was still the guardians, both official and unofficial.

The moment Zae was about to launch himself at Zastin, he didn't consider to bat an eye at the two presences right near him, he blinked. In that blink of an eye, Zae began to aware a strange phenomenon occurred to his body.

His feet, both of them did not touch the ground. Soon, he realized a tingling pain began to spread over one of his leg. It came from beneath the knee.

Eyes widened in slow motion. Somehow, he was floating. His whole lower body shot up in the air as a sensation ran through him like a rushing wave.

It was Ito.

The boy kicked him real hard to the point both his leg rolled up in the air, untouched by the ground. The blow was delivered right in the shinbone, so strong that something almost snapped beneath the skin.

It was then, the other twin quickly took his change to chain the combo by grabbing one of his arm while he was still in the air and performed a judo technique.

The arrogant candidate was sent flying through the air as Rito threw him over his shoulder.

 **Crashed!**

The heavy sound echoed, Zae violently crashed down the wooden platform and the thing broke. Near there, the small garden the orange haired boy looks after every day shook for a bit, earth spilled out the flower pots.

The whole situation happened in such a short amount of time and it was so fast that Zastin couldn't have the time to react and he was astonished.

….so…so fast!

The clash between him and Zae ended before it even started, because of those boys.

"You have three options."

Ito spoke, his voice was calm. He lifted up two fingers as he bent down to look straight into Zae's eyes. The boy's shadow covered his whole being when the moon was at the highest point in the sky.

"First, continue to try to pick a fight, using violence or insulting our friend then this will go to the Emperor's ear." He showed him a recorder, Zae's voice came from the volume speaker. As clear as day, everything he said ever since Ito stepped out from the house has been carefully recorded.

What he meant by late warning from earlier was this.

"If you are that much desperate to resort to violence and try to kidnap Lala for your nonsense happiness, the whole conversation in this recorder here will give you a change to know what a father's wrath would look like when a guy who called himself a decent gentleman sees his daughter as nothing more than a winning prize. Just imagine what Lala's father will do when he finds out about what you said in front of us."

Zae stared back at him, still confused at the whole thing but the paled look showed on his face helped the boy to confirm that he was listening and fully understood the meaning of what the brown haired boy said.

"Second, leave this place and never come back again, see to it as nothing have happened. Third, either you can give us a proper challenge to determine your worth as Lala's marriage candidate or we will exclude you from this trial permanently right this instant." Putting away the recorder, Ito gave him the final warning."Think wisely before you choose. Because as of now, you already gave us a pretty bad impression."

The twin waited in patience for his respond. The clock inside the house tickling while the candidate let those warning sunk in his mind.

Behind them, Zastin observed the candidate together with Ren, who managed to gather his strength and stood up from the fall. Some drop of tears was still lingering in his eyes, though.

"What is your answer, decent gentleman-san?"

"….."

Which will it be? Zae has to choose, which he didn't.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, he cried out loud. Despite the pain aching all over his body, Zae forced himself to sit up and pointed the accused finger to everyone in the yard.

"You!...you hurt me, the future king of Debian! I'll remember this, every single one of you!" The candidate who was crying like a spoiled child reeled his step toward the center of the yard. He took out a device and clicked the biggest button on it.

A column of light shot down from the sky, it came from the same ship that was blown away into the orbit.

Zae went into the spot and his body slowly flew up.

"Don't think this is over yet, I will come back to get my wife!" Zae yelled, tears and sweats mixed together on his face made him looked quite a mess."You want me to choose, isn't it?! Fine, I pick number three! I'll give you a challenge, I make you kneel down to me when you all lose. Especially you, guardian in the rumor! You are so-"

Zae's voice was cut short, he was unable to finish his speech as his body has teleported into his ship.

The column of light disappeared.

Rito let out a small sigh, feeling the night has come back to its peaceful time. With the crazy encounter came to an end, he looked over to Ren and went to him.

"Ren, are you alright?"

The boy's focus completely shifted to Ren's well-being.

"I'm fine." The alien boy snorted slightly and nodded his head."My cheek feels like it got swollen a little."

"Let me check." Rito examined him closer, the red hand mark printed on his cheek has nearly faded away."Does it still hurt?"

"Not much." Hands formed into a fist, shaking. Ren gritted his teeth in frustration."That guy hit me without hesitation. Darn it, I never imagine one of Lala's candidates could be so violent."

Ren was not the kind of person who would raise his fist against others, he was competitive to a certain extend but he disliked violence as a result for being born into a royal family and raised by the good King and Queen of Memorze.

However, after what happened with Zae, the boy felt weak and he hated it, the fact that he saw himself this way. He couldn't do anything after taking the sudden slap and being thrown over half the yard like a sand bag.

Violence shouldn't be something a person could take into account to solve problem even in anger, Ren believed so.

Now, he realized one thing about Zae, that person who called himself gentleman has never been like one, he was the worst kind of person the partial white haired boy couldn't stand. He was completely the opposite side of him.

"How is your sister?"

"Run's….she's crying. To her, that slap must be really hurt."

Hearing that, Rito felt a spark of flame started burning deep somewhere inside him. Not just him, Zastin narrowed his eyes.

That candidate would not walk away from this quietly after the ruckus he caused tonight, he owned Ren and Run an apology.

Standing on the side, Ito brought a hand to his chin, thinking as he was not quite understood some facts.

…..earlier, that faker of a gentleman called him girly prince.

That meant he knew about Ren long before they've even met. But wait…..

….prince…..hm? Now that I notice, he is a prince? And what is this about his sister is crying?

"Ren, can I ask you some questions?"

Ren looked up at him, blinking for a while but quietly nodded.

…..

…..

"I see, you are the prince of planet Memorze and your kind has two souls live together in one body, which it's a unique characteristic that only your race have."

After a short explanation from his younger brother and the partial white haired boy, the older brother of the Yuuki household has learned something new about another alien race.

….that was fascinating to be honest.

For now, back to the main issue.

"If you put it that way, then that annoying candidate didn't hit just only you but your sister at the same time, huh. Well, starting from today he won't be a gentleman anymore."

The group of four people nodded altogether.

"Ren, stop shaking your head, your nose is still running, let me go get you some tissues." Rito was about to turn and ran back in the house but Ren stopped him.

"Wait! No need."

"Even if you say that, it's not good to leave it like that."

"Yuuki Rito, you shouldn't be acting so soft toward your rival like that." Spoke firmly Ren as he folded his arm. Hoping that wouldn't bring up misunderstanding, he closed his eyes while correcting his ways of word."Not that I'm telling you to stop worrying about me, I can go get the stuff and deal with this by myself."

Regardless of what he said, Rito has already disappeared through the glass door.

…wha….he ignored me?!

"Hey, Ren." Ito tapped his shoulder.

"?"

"Since I knew you're a prince now, should I start calling you your Highness?"

"That's unnecessary. I like to be treated normal."

"Ah, I see."

"Here, take this and wipe your nose."

Ren jolted in surprise as Rito suddenly appeared next to him.

That was absurdly fast.

"How is Run?"

"She said she is fine now." Ren glanced sideway for a moment then replied, he took the tissues from Rito to wipe his face and sneered into it."But I can feel my sister's shaking. Her emotion is wavering all over…and my back is still sore…..nose's itching, too."

Rito took a brief glance at the mountain on the other side of the town. It was nearly midnight now and the distance from here to the spaceship, which Ren landed up there, was a long way to walk back on foot.

"By the way, Yuuki Rito."

"?"

"Back then, that ship..….was….." Ren stared at him, curious hinted in his eyes."Was that your doing?"

"…..do what….?" The boy stopped for a short time before asking the question again.

"No, never mind."

"Ren, if you-"

"Achoo!"

Rito's words was cut off in the middle, unfinished as smoke burst out from the alien boy's clumsy sneeze. The thick air swallowed him along with those who were within its vicinity.

"Woah! Where is this smoke coming from?!"

Startled, Ito hurriedly backed away out of the smoke. Zastin also managed to find the way out as he waved his hand around to clear out the thick smoke over his face, the commander was mildly surprised by what was happening.

A moment later, the surrounding became visible again.

"Huh?"

Ito froze like a statue by what he saw as the smoke faded away. There was a girl with glowing light green hair sitting there in Ren's clothe.

"Run…" Rito blinked while saying her name.

The girl finally switched place with her brother.

"…ah...Yuuki Rito-kun, we meet again." The girl gave him a small smile."I didn't expect Ren to sneeze this soon."

The boy widened his eyes at her expression. Never mind about the type of clothe she was wearing, the look on her face told the twin and the Devilukean commander more than enough.

Exactly like Ren said, the girl has just cried. Her eyes was teary, her nose reddened at the tip. Upon closer observation, the boys noticed her body was trembling slightly.

"Here." Knowing what he should do, Rito handed the tissue to her."Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay now."Run gave a weak nod and took it."Thank you for worrying about me. It seems I own you again."

She kept that small smile on her lip and gently wiped the tears away. Seeing that, everyone let go off the tension on their shoulder in relieve.

"So you are Ren's sister, I assume?" Ito kneeled down next to the two, he held up a hand as a sign of greeting."Nice to meet you, I'm Yuuki Ito. I guess we are fellow classmates then."

"Oh, I saw you this morning, too. Please call me Run, there is no need to be formal."

"Run-san then."

"Just Run is fine."

Ito laughed a little.

"Sorry, but I think I should leave that privilege to my younger brother. Is -kun okay for you? That honorific is a term used for boy, girls can use it, too, although it may be sound a little boyish."

"No, R.u.n please."

No matter what Ito said, Run really determined to have the brown haired boy forget about the formal addressing with her.

Watching on the side, a smile formed on Rito's face. Somehow, he found this scene is familiar in a hilarious way.

….

….

Now sitting comfortably in the living room, Run and Zastin was offered a warm cup of tea to ease their stress caused by that candidate from earlier. While those two enjoyed the delicious flavor of the tea, the twin was busy staring at the broken platform outside in silence.

Argument and small whispers were exchanged between the Yuuki brothers. For some reason, they looked so pale in the face as if world's destruction are coming. Until a moment later, they decided to leave this problem for tomorrow, when Mikan already knew about it.

The little sister seemed to hold a very strong position in the house.

As the light green haired girl sip the drink, her hand kept on the blanket Rito lent to her so she could cover herself to keep warm from the cold night.

"By the way, Run…" Rito, standing behind the sofa, started a short conversation.

"Hm?" The light green haired girl lit her head up.

"It's almost midnight now, are you planning to go back to the mountain alone?"

"Well….." The girl trailed off as she looked back at the dark mountain far away."Our house is all the way up there, I guess I have to. It can't be done and there is no other way."

"What about Zastin? He can give you a ride." Ito spoke up then turned to the commander."Can't you?"

"I'm sorry Ito-dono but I can't carelessly drive the ship into the middle of the town like this, my ship is not designed for stealth and the vessel hasn't been installed with the invisibility function yet. Currently, all system are focusing on monitoring the movements outside the solar system. My subordinators are using the ship to track down any suspicious signal approaching this planet."

"How come you can stay up there in the orbit without being detected by JAXA?" The boy raised an eyebrow….and a question.

"JAXA?"

"Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency." **[1]**

"Ah, to prevent the ship from being discovered by the local, we used a beacon to distract the tracking technologies from Earth. Simply letting the device to create the same wavelength coming from the surface to lend in and alter the light around the ship. From there, we disguise ourselves as a harmless meteor."

"….that is…..interesting."

Quite a good plan to make an alien ship not to stand out in the open space.

"It's alright, I can go back on my own."

"But it's really dark. Even though your strength is superior to us Earthling, a girl shouldn't be walking on the outside streets around this hour. Besides, you are still new to this town, aren't you?" Rito scratched his cheek for a while and an idea came to his mind."Let me walk you home then."

"?" Run's hot pink eyes aroused a hint of surprise. However, the girl quickly waved her hand in denial to reject the idea."No, really, you don't have to go that far for me."

"But even if you say that….."

Rito's persuasion didn't work much as the girl began to stand up from the sofa and left the place. At the door, she gave a light bow to Ito and the Devilukean commander before turning to Rito.

"I'll be alright. Thank you for your kindness." Run had a warm smile on her face as she said, causing Rito to stare in wonder."You know, despite being the guardian in the rumor and Ren's rival. You're actually quite cute~."

The Memorze princess winked at him, it was very nice to know the most mysterious person in the galaxy was a kind human. The boy blushed a little at the sudden compliment. Yet, in the afterward, he titled his head to the side like an idiot as he realized he had no idea what she meant by saying him cute.

She handed the blanket back to him and bid goodbye to everyone in the room before leaving through the front door.

"Run." As she turned, Rito stopped her and lent the girl his hoodie."Wear this, the night is freezing during this time of the year. You might catch a cold."

Once again, Run was startled by the boy's deep concern about her well-being. She could hardly resist the smile formed on her lip as she took it.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to have Ren returns this to you tomorrow."

Run turned her heel but she stopped midway as she remembered something.

"Oh, that's right." She looked back at the boy."I forgot, I told you to address me by Run yet I haven't done the same to you. Yuuki Rito-kun, would it be alright if I call you by your last name?"

"I don't mind."

"Yes, Rito-kun then~." Run seemed happy at his reply.

With a goodbye wave, the door closed. Run traveled back to her space ship on that mountain alone.

….

….

The town at night was quiet. Run could feel the cold rushed through her hair as a breeze came.

The girl slightly trembled.

Today was such a terrible day that she had experienced all kind of bad things. Being dragged to Earth with her persistent brother, nearly got attacked by a creature called dog…or cat by Earthling's definition, lost the house key and being slapped by one of her childhood friend's evil candidate. She wanted to forget everything about it, it was the worst day ever in her life ever since they set foot on this isolated region in the galaxy.

However, while there's life there's hope. At the very least, a boy was still willing to lend her a hand, willing to help her out during crisis.

Maybe it all happened within a single day.

Maybe the moment they met only worth a small portion of time of this night, when the two first met.

But the impression he gave her was enough to outweigh those unfortunate hardships.

Run clasped both her hands together, the oversized sleeve covered nearly all the way to the tip of her fingers. Then, a small chuckled escaped the alien girl's lip, she could feel the tender warm embrace as the hoodie hugged her slender body.

…his clothe, it's so warm.

Crossing the bridge connected between towns, Run looked up at the starry night sky. In her memory, the sight reminded her of a conversation between Ren and the boy.

… _ **.Say, Yuuki Rito, if you were to compare yourself to one of the things above the sky, what will you choose?...**_

… _ **..Any of the stars would be fine….**_

The girl stopped in her track as she started admiring the stars. She also remembered that boy said this.

… _ **..It represents our relationship, the connection between people….**_

"The more they stay together, the brighter they will be in ours eyes."

Run muttered quietly and as she walked again, raising a hand toward the most shining group of stars.

…..not only profound, he is also very kind.

If someone was to ask her just like Ren about comparing oneself to one of the things appear on that beautiful sky, she would pick the same choice as him.

….I want to be like one of the shining stars up there, too, like him.

Run made up her minds.

"Rito-kun, you really are an interesting person~."

The girl made a mental note to herself that she should not get carry away with both her and her brother's new life on this planet. But now, a connection has been established. Through time, it would grow stronger.

The connection between Run Elsie Jewelria, the princess of planet Memorze, and Yuuki Rito, a seemingly ordinary Earthling boy.

At this rate, sooner or later, she and Lala, her childhood friend, would become rival.

…..hm, it's not wrong to do this to Lala-chan. But then again, maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself like this either….oh well~.

The girl cheerfully took her steps, in no time, she reached her home.

/

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **[1] A reference to an organization in the Space Brothers series.**

 **R &R:**

 **guest: Still on going, I'm writing new chapters for the Index stories.**

 **hy6r1d60y: Good catch! There is a connection between Rito and the person named Star. Although, so far in the story, what kind of connection is that remains unknown. I guess I made it a little bit too obvious about Rito's action, huh. Well, if you believed it that way through Ren's words then maybe Rito is more than just an ordinary Earthling but I wonder...Anyway, yes, Yami will definitely appear later in the story.  
**

 **That would be all.**

 **Review the chapter if you please, criticism is also greatly appreciate. I will see you again in the next note.  
**


	26. Chapter 26: Info-Challenge

**Two chapters in a week! Phew~, well that used up most of my energy.**

 **One thing I noticed, the TLR section on this site has been awfully quiet ever since TLR: Darkness manga came to an (temporary?) end. Nothing new comes from the authors Hasemi-sensei yet, while the manga illustrator Yabuki-sensei is working with the manga version of Darling in the Franxx. Quite sad to see how it turned out to be (I also don't want TLR to end so soon! You know! Not when the canon Rito has finally man-up a bit with Haruna's route!).**

 **Oh well, at the very least, we have: Yami realized and at the same time, confessing her feeling to Rito and fully dominated her Darkness persona; Nemesis survived Gid one-sided battle and has the principal as her new play...something...just as the headmaster always wanted. Mea showed interest in romantic relationship with Rito and wanted to do more pero-pero(if you know what I meant) act with him. Finally, Momo conveyed her true feeling toward the harem plan and to our main protagonist. That only left for Kotegawa, Risa, Kyouko and Nana and some other heroins to join in the harem...and...(thinking, thinking)...is it alright for Mikan to be included in there? hm, hm.**

 **Well, that is much I want to share my thought after a long time of disappearing from this site like magic135 has mentioned. So many good stories hasn't seen the next update like TLR:** ** **Another Road of Guigo2000** or had already complete such as Between Kings of Hentai-Sempai, TLR Alternate of Vaenny, etc. To be frank, I missed those days when I read their new updates.**

 **Alright, enough of another one of my long, nonsense rambling.  
**

 **Enjoy the story~.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own To Love-Ru series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26:**

 **~Info_Challenge~**

 _In the distant galaxy, where many mysteries of the universe was not yet unfolded or had yet to be reached, floated a colossal station that bathed in the illusionary blue light of the sun from far away. The station, or in other words, a "ship", stood still in that dark space that seemed to stretch out endlessly._

 _On the top of its body was a round, invisible shape of wall that seemed to make from glass and could see through. Inside, many small scale cities was built on top of countless ring shaped platforms that held by a column on each own. Those columns extended, connected to the bottom of each platforms like branches and gathered, trailing down even further below into the center of the ship and were grouped into one solid structure that could withstand any kind of impact from the outside._

 _It was said that the place was so big that it could be compared to a maze, not paying attention and anyone could easily get lost. However, on the contrary, the design of each city was well thought and organized so such a case was rarely happen even for visitors from the outside._

 _In this place that housed multiple civilizations, each location and sector on the ship was constructed and built on a separate gravity simulation as for the convenient of repairing and reserving the parts of the gigantic station and many more other purposes._

 _Written in the language of the Devilukean, the heroes of the Great Galactic War and the current rulers of the universe,_ _ **Hope**_ _was the given name of this ship._

 _Because the ship was built after the Great War as a prominent sign of the peace kept by all the species from across the whole galaxy, the station itself didn't have any weapon installed into its body despite having the appearance of a moving fortress. But needless to say, security still had an important role in keeping the home of a million life safe so other counter measures had already been thought of and planned by the creators._

 _And….._

 _Inside one particular city on the platform that located near the edge of the invisible wall covered the top of the station, around the inner structure that consist of many large towering buildings._

 _A man was standing inside a small, empty room with nothing else around him._

 _One dim source of light could be seen on the ceiling, emitting a column of light that trailed down to the floor in a big circle. Standing in the middle of that source of light was another person, slightly transparent, whose presence was emitting an aura like that of a true leader._

 _Between the two, a conversation was taking place and it appeared the man inside that column of light was a program formed by a pile of data transmitted by the distance communication technology, the_ _ **Quantum Entanglement Communicator**_ _._

"… _.and that is the end of the daily report, sir."_

" _Good work, Lieutenant Cardio."_

" _Please, just 'Card'."_

 _The hologram or the man who was communicating from somewhere far away chuckled at the quick reply of his teammate._

" _Then, about the next mission of the [unit], I heard we are going to start a raid on the Red Fog."_

" _Yes, thanks to the Intel, we found their hideout at section 01-Z on the Citadel. The depredation will be carried out in two more days, that organization has caused enough trouble to the citizen around there. This time we will put them out for good."_

" _I see, to think everyone in the team is about to go on a mission to take down a mercenary organization without me. I feel like I'm lucky enough not to participate in."_

" _Don't worry, if you want to, just say the word and I'll assign one to you."_

" _Sorry, I'm just kidding."_

" _So…." Coughing, the man in the circle of light put a hand to his sharp chin."About the test, I've already received the result from your message and the film taken from the security surveillances."_

" _Then what is your thought about it, sir?"_

" _Very impressive, It's seem like the boy is more of a gentle person rather than a warrior or soldier like us. Despite the strange skill he possess, the kid doesn't abuse it and try to solve most conflicts by words instead of violence. Although, I can guess he is a little bit reckless and naïve based on your words in the report, but overall, excellent."_

" _Well, the kid truly has a lot of potentials."_

" _Indeed, however, those are just the data collected in a mere 72 hours, there might be some certain aspects that we haven't seen yet of that boy."_

 _The man nodded at the remark._

 _He was right._

 _After all, the boy whom they were talking about was a total mystery with an unknown past._

" _By the way, I have also gathered the opinions of the entire [unit] about this."_

 _Cardio raised an eyebrow at the news, the corner of his mouth slowly moved up into a smile as he understood what the man before him was about to say._

" _Your guess is right, most of them agreed to have him join in the team and some even urged me to do that right away." The man in the circle slightly glanced sideway as he sweat dropped which caused Cardio to chuckle slightly._

" _I figure that would be an okay sign then, captain."_

 _The man who was Cardio's captain scratched his cheek awkwardly and decided to head for another topic._

" _Ah, putting this aside. About that topic we discussed from last time, how is the investigation going?"_

 _Hearing the question, the amused expression on the man's face changed. His posture became stiffed as he softly spoke with a serious look._

" _I'm afraid there isn't much info I can gather about the race that Star belongs to or even his own identity."_

" _Almost nothing?"_

" _Yes, the boy himself is a mystery."_

"… _.." The captain looked down at his feet, thinking in deep concentration. However, Cardio's next word soon brought him back._

" _But recently I did found a few hints that could be related to that boy, though."_

 _Both eyes widened with curiosity slowly raised up, the Captain slightly leaned his body forward like he was hoping for it._

 _Then, Cardio proceeded to tell his captain about the time when the boy occasionally rubbed his head for quite a while like he just experienced something that was not comfortable._

 _Everything was told, even the closest event that happened a day ago when the boy suddenly cried as he ate the food called ramen like it was something he had unconsciously longed for._

…

* * *

 **-Music 07: pf-adlib-c20130218 composed by Hiroyuki Sawano**

* * *

" _I see, so up till now, amnesia is the main cause of his current condition, huh?"_

" _Yes, considering he doesn't remember anything about him and why he was up here in space the moment he woke up in that hospital, it could be very likely a possibility. I have another theory in mind though, but I'm still not so sure about it since I haven't checked it with the boy himself yet."_

" _It's alright, Card, share it with me."_

 _Cardio brought up his left arm and an orange hologram appeared around it. By pressing several buttons, an article popped up._

" _I dig up some information on the universal network and from some other sources. Here is what I found."_

 _According to the article showed on the hologram window, based on the calendar of the Mizunarian as their planet was a few light years away from there. Roughly a few months ago, some of the miners stationed in a meteor near there had discovered an executive shuttle, which for some reason, was heavily damaged and floated endlessly in the dark space with the fuel completely ran out._

 _Thinking someone might have gotten injured and the ship might have got involved in an attack from space pirate, the miners closed in, taking the shuttle back to their place in hope that they can rescues the person inside it._

" _Hm." The captain once again placed a hand to his chin as he read the article._

" _Take a look at this part, captain." Cardio used a finger to draw a full circle around a part of the paragraph._

 _Upon successfully opening the hatch that lead to the inside of the shuttle, they discovered a young boy in an advanced space suit was lying motionlessly on top a pond of red substance coming out from his face. Through a report written by the medical team of that station, it seemed like that red substance was deemed as his blood._

" _Blood?!"_

" _Yeah, it was said they found him lying on the flood with his face facing the ceiling, beneath his head was a small pond of blood that came out from his face."_

 _Not only the boy was found in such a state, the advanced space suit he was wearing on was also reeked a heavy rusty smell and dried red with blood. While checking to see if there were any other injuries on the boy, the medical team has witness a very horrible sight._

 _Those red substance, those blood that rapidly dripped down his eyes and cheek was flowing directly from a large wound found on his forehead and many other cut scattered around his head and face._

 _The wound on the forehead was the most disturbing feature, it was almost like his entire forehead was being lacerated by a very brutal slash. Blood streamed out from it, slowly stopped and covered the whole face of the boy with many long trace of blood as it undergone a coagulation._

 _As for the cut around his face, the team noticed that both hands of the boy was covered in the same red substance and the color just become deeper at each of the finger nails. For whatever reason, the boy could have likely to have cut his own face by those hands of his. The amount of force he put in those scratching was strong enough to almost completely peel off the skin._

 _It was nearly impossible to recognize the face of the boy as many part of it had been heavily distorted, so much to the point that a newly train member of the team vomited uncontrollably by just taking a single glance._

 _Reading to the extreme part of the content of the article, the captain narrowed his eyes in discomfort, almost in a loss of word at the disturbing scene._

" _What in the world had happened?"_

" _Keep reading, captain. From this part down, you will find it less disturbing than the upper half."_

 _True._

 _The detail depiction of the scene brought chill to anyone who read it and right now, the captain could feel it too. The cold, chilling air that freeze his skin as he let the imagination does the work while continued to read the article._

 _The boy was still alive but his breath was weak and had received medical attention immediately._

 _Moreover, in the damaged shuttle, there was almost no light, only the pitch black color of the darkness awaited the miners the moment they opened the door._

 _Every light sources on the ceiling was either broke or malfunctioned as some could only provide a very weak, blinking ray of light._

 _In a small interview with the galaxy reporters, the miners said that the air in there was extremely thick and tense, almost something invisible was grabbing their throat and gripped it tight as they entered deeper inside._

 _And there wasn't just the boy alone in that shuttle._

 _Entering the room next to the cockpit, they found two more persons lying next to each other on one of the beds._

 _One of them had some minor wounds while the other had a crushed leg. Both were still breathing gently, however, one of them had a slightly pale skin due to the loss of blood._

" _How could something like this happen?"_

" _I've been wondering about that too when I read this article. Fortunately, there was no life threatening case like this article was telling. Despite the condition, the wounds on their body had been took care of and patched up carefully by someone. The medical team of that station described it as nowhere near amateur skill but nowhere near expert either but they wished the one who had help these two would make the place a little bit more tidy since there was blood marks on their clothes and everywhere in the med-kit box placed near there."_

" _Then….that means….."_

" _Yes, the boy who was lying on that pond of blood was the one who had helped them to get through the critical condition of their bodies before he ended up like that due to some reason."_

 _The captain let out a small sigh and continued._

 _Through the blood samples recovered from the three and taking some research into the list of species stored in the Galactic medical database, the identity of the two persons who were lying on bed in the different room were both girls and they came from the races that was almost on the verge of extinction._

 _The captain widened his eyes in surprise as he read the name of that race out loud._

" _The_ _ **Charmian**_ _?! They are the same race as the current Queen of Deviluke?!"_

" _Exactly, captain. Nowadays, it's really rare to meet a Charmian in this vast universe since they are traveling the galaxy in small tribes and in secret to avoid getting into trouble caused by their own unique ability."_

"… _.."_

" _If these two were found in that damaged shuttle then something must had happened to their tribe or perhaps due to many other complicated reasons that we might not know of yet. Currently, I have already found their whereabouts but let's leave that topic for another time, for now the next piece of information is what I want to discuss with you."_

 _However, as for the boy, the team could not make out which race he belongs to as they discovered a strange type of DNA mixed in together with his blood and it had changed most of the DNA strains in his body. A small research was quickly carried out to find the reason behind this particular change and the result will be announced in the near future._

 _To be continued in the next issue._

 _Reaching those last lines, the captain nodded his head thoughtfully as the hologram window disappeared._

" _Hm, this is certainly…unique. Card, could it be that what you want to discuss with me relates to the boy in this article?"_

" _Yes, I want to confirm something with you first before I check this with Star. Say, captain, do you think the boy in this article could somehow resemble to him?"_

" _You mean that big scar on the boy's forehead? Well, I suppose that could be another possibility, but other than the scar, the description of the boy's appearance in that article was little to no detail so I'm not going to be so sure about it. But why do you think so?"_

" _You see, captain. The article I just showed you there….."_

" _?"_

" _ **It has never been published by the time the reporter finished it."**_

 _The captain blinked at Cardio in confusion upon hearing those words._

" _No, to say it more correctly, this article here." Cardio looked down at the orange hologram floating on his left arm."Has been uploaded onto the Galactic News website and has been taken down immediately in the next 2 hours."_

 _Calmly taking the words in, the man who was emitting the aura of a true leader slightly narrowed his eyebrow and folded his arm as he listened to Cardio in silence._

" _It's strange, isn't it? This news here has never been showed in public, it was deleted in such a short time. The reporter who wrote it has also retired abruptly and no one seems to know the reason why."_

" _Something big is happening." The man in the circle spoke._

" _And someone is trying to hide it and plans to bury the truth down in a hole that no one else can find a way to search for it." Cardio added in._

 _As the two men reached to a conclusion together, the atmosphere around them thickened. The quietness that enveloped the universe raised their nervous slowly as they approached something that none of the person in the galaxy was aware of._

 _Finally, with the urge to break this uncomfortable silence, the captain let out his voice._

" _Cardio, where did you find this piece of information anyway?"_

" _Ah…..about that…" Cardio diverted his eyes, scratching the back of his head while his voice trailed off."….I…um….happened to stumble across a certain friend of my, who is also happened to be an information broker a few days back…."_

 _The man in the column of light let out a long sigh as he heard that. This reaction caused Cardio to jolt in nervous._

" _Card, I know I have told this before but you just don't seem to understand the risk of these action. Keep your distance from those suspicious info dealers, I don't like to get myself involved with those type of people."_

" _I know that but like I have told you before, too. He's a good friend of mine and he's always willing to sell the info to me at a low price so why not take it. And besides, since this piece of information he found here doesn't bring much profit to him, he sold it to me. It's a benefit convenience for both sides, don't you think?"_

 _The captain wanted to retort but he seemed to run out of words as this had happened many times._

" _Why is most of your friends are always the one who work in the 'dark' fields? If I remember correctly, one of them even used to work in that detestable_ _ **Eden**_ _organization." The captain shook his head."Sometime, I find myself having a hard time trying to understand your conception of the word 'friend', Card."_

 _Cardio couldn't help but smiled wryly, he didn't know what to say._

" _But still, you did a great job, my friend. From now on, keep on with the investigation. If you need any help, let the team know and we will help you with all we can."_

 _Noticing the change in captain's tone, Cardio dropped his smile despite the compliment and straightened his back, giving a salute gesture._

" _Roger that."_

 _The light source on the ceiling then became blurry by the second as the transmission was about to disconnect._

 _Cardio turned around, readied to leave the empty room. But before he took the last step out of the door, the captain spoke up a few words._

" _Thank you, Card. I'm sorry for putting you through all this works, it must be inconvenient for you."_

 _Cardio stopped on his track._

" _Not at all, captain. This is actually refreshing to be honest, and besides, now that we get to know some parts of the boy, be it good or might not be what we expect. Knowing his condition…"_

 _Then, he turned around with a broad smile flashed on his face._

" _We can't just leave the kid on his own now, can we?"_

 _As a thin smile also formed on the captain's face while those words reached his ear, the transmission disconnected and the room went dark._

… _.._

 _Cardio walked out from the door that lead into the small room. With the door automatically closed behind him, the man then faced a vast hall while he took his steps toward the entrance that lied far away on the other side of the big place._

 _Once reached to the entrance, he was greet by the sight of a beautiful garden built on a separate flat form a level below the floor where he stood. Above his head was where the stars or many planets was shining, sparkling mysteriously in an opened, vast space._

 _They all lied behind an invisible ceiling, which was the shield that prevented the air around him from breaking out there and mixed into the zero gravitation environment while provided a calm, peaceful side of the universe itself._

 _Cardio continued on his way._

 _During the walk, he could hear the voice of the people echoed from some of the floors below him._

 _Some were lectures._

 _Some were questions._

 _Some were answers._

 _And came along the sound of the long definition of various lessons and conversations between students and teachers._

 _This place where he walked was a school, a very prestigious one. It was one of many schools built inside the Hope station, providing a place for children, teenagers, adults from all races and those who was taking settle inside the symbol of peace, to enroll in and study._

 _The campus, the school ground had the size that could be considered to be quite large, enough to compare to the size of a small town._

 _For a few minutes, the man walked along a long corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly without an end._

 _As he reached a corner and turned, the resounding footstep that repeatedly echoed everywhere in the place came to a stop._

 _There, entering his line of sight was a figure of a boy standing alone in one of the thousand corridors existed on this ship._

 _From where he was, the entire place was quiet, completely devoid of people._

 _There was only him and him alone in that long hallway._

 _That boy was letting his back pressed against the wall, facing up as he let the view of the dark space filled by many sparkling stars embed deep into his eyes._

 _There was a beautiful garden right in front of him, yet the only thing he found attractive was the sight of the massive, black sky up there._

" _Star."_

 _Responding to the call, the boy quietly stood straight and turned his head to the man. Didn't forget to give him a small wave as a gesture of greeting._

" _Sorry for making you waiting, I've just finished giving my daily report to the captain of the [unit]…..hm?" Something caught Cardio's eyes as he looked at the left arm of the boy."Oh, you fixed back my old_ _ **Omni-tools**_ _! That's great, I've never thought you have the knowledge of an engineer."_

" _I don't." Star replied back frankly._

" _Huh?"_

" _I just followed the instruction on the network to make this thing functional again. I don't know anything about engineering."_

"… _I….I see." Cardio rubbed his head in awkward."Wait, how did you even know the way to get here on the top floor, anyway? All I did was to show you the map and the location of this place."_

 _Instead of answering the question came from the puzzled man, Star raised up his left arm and a hologram appeared in the shape of a map on it. It was the map of both the building and the campus where they were in._

" _You updated the map of the whole ship?"_

" _No, a female student in this school guided me to watch the map in a 3D environment. By the way, she said that your Omni-tool version is too old to be used in this time of day."_

" _A female student?" Cardio slightly widened his eyes. Then, the corner of his mouth perked up into a smirk."Oho~, first time in school and you've already had a girl to talk to."_

 _Star tilted his head to the side, he didn't seem to get the teasing part in those words._

" _First time in school? Are you going to have me enroll in here?"_

" _Well, that's the plan if you still have no intention to join in the team. Since we haven't found a single clues about your past, me and the [unit] have decided that would be the best option for you to live and study inside this station."_

"… _."_

 _A thin gap formed on the lip of the boy with the unhealed scar. However, no word seemed to come out and the boy could only look down at his feet in silence._

 _Knowing the meaning behind that reaction of his, Cardio gently rubbed his companion's head._

" _Don't worry, the team will always help you, I'll make sure to support you until you finally make up your mind and choose what is best for you."_

" _?"_

" _I told you before, didn't I? My team really want to recruit you as we need those strange skills you possess for the sake of protecting the peace of the galaxy but the decision is still for you to decide. If you agree then the team will welcome you with open arms and if you don't, we will still welcome you and help you to get used to this new life. Everything is up to you."_

 _Star rubbed his forehead for a bit as if he was letting those words sunk deep into his mind. He had met such good people._

"… _.Card…."_

" _?"_

" _For the time being, I know what I'm doing is troubling you and that [unit] so…just give me some time."_

 _Cardio blinked at his word and soon surprise filled all over his face as Star gave him a determined look directly into his eyes._

" _I'll think about it, the offer."_

 _Slowly progressing the boy's words into his head, Cardio smile brightly and playfully placed his arm around the boy's shoulder, rubbing or rather messing his hair by the other hand like a big bro who was in joy for the growth of his young brother._

" _Thanks, kiddo. Hey, if you don't mind, next time I want to officially introduce you to the [unit], are you fine with it?"_

" _Sure, I don't mind."_

 _After the conversation, the two continued to company each together in that long hallway and went back to the school ground by an elevator near there._

…

… _._

…

 _On the ground, near the school gaze, the building looked so much like a giant three that pieced through the night sky._

" _So, Star~, about the female student you met when you came here to wait for me on that top floor. Tell me your thought about her? What is she looks like?"_

" _Why the sudden question?...wait, what's with that look on your face?"_

 _Star sweat dropped as there was an amused look showed on Cardio's expression, it seemed to go along so well with that smirk formed on his mouth._

" _I have to know if my buddy suddenly has this 'my heart skips a beat as I look at her' moment like in those romantic comedy story kids your age often read these days. When I was your age, I also found my mind floating on the nine cloud around a hundred times because of a girl I fell in [_ _ **Kksss**_ _] at first sight." Cardio patted on the boy's shoulder and gave him a thumb up."I have all the experienced in romance so don't feel embarrassed to ask me about it whenever you need an advice. The road to romance is a long, tough path after all."_

" _Sorry, I didn't catch that, fell in what?"_

" _Now, now, don't be shy. Just let your mind relax and tell me everything."_

" _You're not making any sense, just what is 'road to romance' and why are you…."_

 _The voices of those two got smaller and smaller as they left, disappearing behind the school gate._

 _Unknown to Star and Cardio, a person had been watching them all the time through the view of the cameras installed in some certain places of the campus._

 _Every motions and dialogues was captured during their walk. And currently, it was played back on an interactive hologram inside a spacious room located on the highest floor of the school._

 _Watching it was a girl in the modified uniform of the prestigious school with a long cape added in to distinct herself from the rest of the student in that school, especially her status and the position she took hold. The cape length was made long enough to reach all the way down to her knee, maybe longer by a few inches, fully draping the girl's back and also the long, thin tail with an identical heart-shape tip extended from the base of it._

 _Her long, smooth hair carried a deep shade of pink with a slight color of purple mixed in, making her beautiful appearance and curvaceous figure, which has always been highly attractive, become even more gorgeous while gave out an elegant aura like that of a princess._

 _The girl leaned back on a chair, one finger played with one of the two slightly curled locks of hair that stretched down in front of her plentiful chest. Her tail moved to the side and waved lightly to make room for the girl to feel more comfortable as she rested her back against the soft surface of the object. The image from the security camera displayed in mid-air also automatically moved, keeping itself in an appropriate arm length distance for the girl to easily reach._

 _Nonchalantly crossing her leg, the girl's eyes, which had a light shade of purple color, was reflecting the image of the boy with an unhealed scar on his forehead deep inside the iris, where a small, sharp vertical line can be seen if pay enough attention._

"… _.."_

 _The expression on her face was mutual. If it was not blank, it would be interested yet observing and slightly amused at the same time._

 _But that didn't seem to be the case._

 _Closing the image hologram as there were several knocks erupted from a large door behind her, the female student who had helped the boy to read the map on the Omni-tools in a 3D environment function put on a mysterious, thin smile before slowly spinning her chair around to her working desk._

 _The door opened without needing, waiting for a respond from the girl and from behind the opened gap another girl with an elegant aura brought in a cup of hot tea._

" _My lady, I made some tea for you."_

" _Thank you, just place it over there, I will have it after I've done reading some of these documents."_

 _The girl put the cup down on the desk and she blinked at the expression showed on her lady's face._

" _My lady, you seem to be in a good mood. Did something happen?"_

" _Hm~, it is, something did happen. It's not the kind of story that's worth much to tell but you see, I've just met an interesting outsider…"_

… _.._

… _.._ _ **ks!**_

… _ **.KKKsrkskrskRKSKRSLKKKkskrSKRsKRRKErkaKSHAkhrksjdkHSGKJrsKRSKRKKSkKKKRrRsrrrRrrrrr!**_

 _ **KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKSKSSSSSSSSSSSSSJSKFJSKHRKRKSJRKRKRHRRSRKKSRRRrrrrrrrr!**_

… _._

….

…

 **BAM!**

"What do you mean a candidate appeared right in front of your doorstep?!"

The students of Sainan high school were startled by a loud bam coming from Rito's direction. The whole class turned to see Saruyama stared at the orange haired boy with his hand forming into a fist and slammed on the boy's desk. From the expression they could see on his face, Saruyama was clearly angered by something.

"Saruyama, your voice! Keep your voice down!" Rito whispered, apparently looked around frantically in panic.

Saruyama startled and covered his own big mouth.

Then, began an awkward moment when you realized you've just embarrassed yourself by getting unnecessary attentions. And that difficult time when there was a story you couldn't often share with anyone else but they just keep pushing it with their curious gazes.

"Rooftop, now."

Ito stood up from his seat, grabbing the two as he walked out of classroom in a hurry. The trio quietly left while their classmates stared at their retreating figures in confusion, including a short blue haired girl and the Devilukean princess.

Things didn't stop at that though, the whole class got even more confused as Ren decided to leave, too, and followed behind them. Surprisingly, a moment ago, he was still complimenting Lala with her gorgeous beauty and shining aura in the morning like usual.

Yet, the instant those three went out, he switched his focus onto them.

Their classmates pondered, strange things had been happening with those three recently.

….

….

"So…in other word, this candidate guy came to your house just to check on Lala and meet the guardian in the rumor but after he knew you were the one, he decided to put his scheme into motion. He changed the rule of the trial and tried to kidnap Lala-chan right on the spot."

"Yeah."

After getting a short explanation about last night encounter with the arrogant prince from the twin, Saruyama decided to review this again with his normally short term memory about the complicated things.

"And the main cause of to why this guy know your whereabouts was because of Lala-chan's body-guard."

"Technically, that's true but don't blame him. Zae Debidan was using Zastin's past mistake to his advantage and threatened him with his so called high status. The guy even tried pulling the politic connection between Deviluke and Debian in order to make him step down from his position."

The backward spiky haired boy pondered for a moment.

"I thought you told me that Lala-chan's people is the strongest in the universe. How could her bodyguard could possibly afraid of some trivial matters like that?"

"It's complicated." Ito spoke up as he relaxed by the railing."Politic is a tangled web. Anything relates to it is not something you could always predict. Involve in it then you got yourself trapped in a giant spiral of endless complex situations."

"Right." The younger brother nodded."But at the very least, Zastin managed to pull himself together again, as he vowed that he would protect Lala from anything, including Zae. He won't let himself be wavered by that candidate's word ever again."

"Okay, that's good to hear. Then about what happened next, I assume you two already kicked his ass and made him forget about trying to get near Lala-chan." Saruyama said so as he nodded his head in proud of his two best friends, a victorious grin formed on his face.

Well, guess what.

"Nope."

"Huh?" That grin disappeared, Saruyama looked back at the two, eyes widened in clueless.

"Zae hasn't given up about Lala. He'll come back, sooner or later."

"Wait, then what should we do?"

Upon Saruyama's question about the next step that they, the princess's guardians, should take in order to prevent her from the dangerous candidate, Ito took a brief glance at Rito and Ren, who was standing next to the trio. The alien boy folded his arm and gave him a firm nod while the guardian in the rumor exhaled slightly, scratching his cheek.

"We will wait for his challenge."

Rito confirmed their next objective.

"Challenge?" Saruyama blinked at the word."What kind of challenge?"

"That, we don't know." Ito shrugged."But whatever troubles he is going to throw at us in his challenge, we will make sure he won't win in the end."

Zae gave them a bad enough impression of an arrogant, self-conceited person already.

"That's right, Lala-chan will never find happiness if she marries someone like him." Ren chimed in, he raised up his shaking his fist in determination."My goddess's freedom and life would be ruined by his sick personality. He is the worst kind of person you could never imagine and I will never let him lay his hand on her."

Fire was burning in his hot pink eyes, the alien boy seemed to have gone back to his usual self after the events from yesterday. The rejection, the emotional outburst and the slap that shocked him to the core and caused his sister to cry in pain.

"Moreover, I'm going to get him back for what he has done to Run last night, he owns her an apology." Ren said that clearly as a serious expression flashed on his face.

Rito and Ito knowingly nodded their head in sync, they knew what the boy meant and of course, they would gladly help Ren with it, to force those "I'm sorry" word right out of that faker of a gentleman mouth.

"….."Saruyama remained silent as he watched the three exchanged words through their gazes.

Unlucky for him, he had no idea what happened last night so right now he had a feeling he was being let out. But before he would pay attention to it, he directed a blank stare at Ren.

First thing first, he wanted to know.

"Why is he here?" Pointed a finger at Ren, Saruyama asked the twin.

Ren's involvement with the candidate was certainly not what he had expected.

"Ah…about that….."

Minutes passed and more explanations about what happened last night.

Ren just looked down at the ground while Rito filled in the detail with Saruyama, he remembered that brutal slap from Zae. It made him feel weak.

Ito gave him a pat on his shoulder as he saw him narrowing his eyes in frustration but Ren shook his head afterward, notifying that he was alright.

"Then, we decided to lend him a hand in dealing with the candidate."

Rito finished the story. To his surprise, Saruyama screamed at the sky.

"That IS unforgivable! How dare he slapped a girl?! Where is she, where is Run-chan?! How is she doing now?! Is she still hurt?!"

Everyone sweat dropped. On the other hand, Ren's eyebrow was twitching in annoyance. They told him the whole story and all the thing he paid attention to was that one part?!

"Hey, he slapped me, too! At least show some concern to your classmate and who give you permission to call my sister by her first name?!" Ren leaned closer to Saruyama's face, his eyes seemed like it was about to shoot laser."You haven't even met her yet!"

"But she will eventually let me call her Run-chan just like how she asked them to, right?" Saruyama pointed at the twin and the respond he got was them averting his eyes away from him."….uh….guys, if we meet, she'll let me right?"

Rito looked up at the sky, pretending like the wind was flowing through his ear. Ito whistled and acted like he didn't hear it as he played with his phone.

"Right?"

Silence.

"RIGHT?!"

Silence.

"Damn you guys, I'm so jealous!" Having enough, Saruyama screamed a battle cry and he launched himself at his friend, Saruyama got to hit the rail with his face as Rito and Ito dodged out in time while Ren's half-opened eyes stared at him incredulously.

He's still alright though, physically.

Rubbing his head, Saruyama slowly stood up and turned around, showing them a puppy eyes.

"Not just Lala-chan, but you also got to meet another princess from another different planet! You two only met her once and she already told you to call her by her first name, what kind of cliché situation was that?! Tell me your secret!"

The twin shook their heads as they had no idea whatever secret he talked about. Seeing his friend's respond, anime tears rolled down his cheek, Saruyama cursed the unfairness of the universe toward his life.

This was rather suck and unlucky.

Oh right, talk about unlucky…...

Wiping his nose, Saruyama gave a loud snort.

"That's it, I'm going to borrow Daigo's catch-phrase. To express my complaint to the world."

What the heck was this idiot on about?

"S-Saruyama, calm down. You're not making any sense." Rito gently patted on his back, trying to ease his friend's bad mood."I know it's a little bit late to say this, but right now we're off the topic."

He wasn't listening though. Saruyama climbed on the fence and as he reached to the top, he shouted those words out loud.

"Such misfortuneeeeeeee!"

...

"Achoo!"

Somewhere in the school, a certain black spiky haired boy suddenly had the urge to sneeze into his sleeve. He was on the phone talking with a girl from an advanced city located in west of Tokyo.

…..yikes, hope I didn't catch a cold.

"Sorry, Biribiri, you were saying?"

…

Later, the school bell rang, the students of Sainan high school returned to their seats as break time was over.

Everyone came back to concentrate on Honekawa-sensei's lesson. Rito, his brother and Lala were fully paid attention to the lesson, Ren also did the same although he occasionally stole a glance over his goddess much to Run's dismay as she awaked and observed the lesson in his consciousness.

Saruyama was not doing very good, he still felt the salty in his wounded heart.

…that was close…..that was so close. I'll never do that again.

Actually, he was trembling, sweating bullets, he was scared of almost getting a one way trip ticket to the infirmary when he fell over the fence on the rooftop for that one complaint he made. Lucky for him, Rito caught his feet just in time.

While everyone was technically putting their heart into their notes and text books, there was the class rep who tried to focus on the teacher's word of wisdom but failed to do so. Sairenji has been wondering, she couldn't keep her eyes away from the orange haired boy.

The blue haired girl couldn't discard the thoughts that caused her to stray from her study.

…Yuuki-kun….

She quietly gazed at his back, the girl has a lot of questions needed answer in her mind ever since she came to that opened field in the mountain last night. What happened yesterday was so much confusing that Sairenji could hardly piece everything into a full picture. With the appearance of that spaceship, and how she saw Rito and Ren walked out from that thing, Sairenji felt difficult to ignore such strange event.

She was not skeptical about what she saw, she believed in it. But the most important stuff she cared about was why Rito was there. The boy whom she has a crush on was related to that ship and the new transfer student in some way.

….I wonder, what was he doing up there in the mountain with Ren-san?

It was bothering her and she worried.

Last night, she looked at her phone. Sairenji wanted to text a message to him, asking about it but the girl was too shy to even press the send button. After all, the topic was difficult to talk and it would be the first text message she sends to him.

The reason why she was there in the mountain from the beginning was a totally coincidence. The girl had no idea there was an alien ship stationed there, she was lead there by her dog, Maron.

It was the smell of the food Run brought along from planet Memorze. Maron's sensitive nose was attracted by the strong aroma it emitted and he was driven crazy by instinct to track the source down. That was the second time Sairenji had to chase after the small Boston Terrier as he broke out from her grasp before they reached home.

Eventually, the trace lead them to the mountain.

After that, the truth was discovered.

As Sairenji stared at Rito's back, the boy turned around as if he noticed her gaze. The girl blushed and averted her eyes back to the note immediately once their eyes made contact.

…..oh no! What am I doing?! Sairenji, you need to focus on the lecture not Yuuki-kun! He'll think you're weird!

Slightly shook her head to discard the unnecessary thoughts, Sairenji persuaded herself to leave the subject for another time.

…..maybe…maybe I can ask Yuuki-kun and Ren-san about it during lunch break.

Nevertheless, she wanted to find out the aspect of the world that only the boys knew and it would be right when the next period ends…should she put up the courage for it.

….

"Ren-kun~."

"?" The said boy turned to a group of girls approaching him.

"Will you have lunch with us?"

"If you're alright with me then I don't mind."

"By the way, you're good at studying, right? Can you please teach us how to solve this math problem?"

"Here, here~!" One cheerful girl took the seat next to him."Teach me!"

"That's not fair, me first!"

"Guys, don't be sneaky, I should be first~!"

Ren was a little taken back by the girls as they surrounded him. The alien boy composed himself and showed them a bright smile, shifting everyone's mood in a slow pace.

"Ahahaha….calm down, girls."

Lunch break has come, the students got some time to relax their mind after taking in the lessons. The trio, however, could hardly let their mind at ease and no one in the classroom noticed the slightest hint of tension on their faces.

Rito and his brother were digging in the food in their bento boxes, which Mikan always prepares for the two every morning. Like usual, the little sister really knew how to make the delicious stuff and struck a score in her brother's starving stomach. Thanks goodness, it reduced the tension on their face as they had to be cautious whenever the candidate made a movement.

Waiting for something, Rito took out his cell phone and glanced briefly at the scene.

…nothing yet.

The boy looked up to Ito and slightly shook his head to inform him. Getting the message, Ito simply nodded then took a sip of his drink.

Meanwhile, Saruyama kept his stare the girls in his class, those currently surrounds the partial white haired boy. The boy leaned on the desk with a hand supporting his cheek.

"The prince of planet Memorze, huh." He muttered Ren's royal title under his breath, somewhat uninterested."Why am I not surprised. Considering he is Lala-chan's childhood friend."

He stared half-heartedly at one of the girls who was happily sharing her lunch with him.

"Second day at school and he is already this popular." He didn't keep to himself anymore, this time he said it flatly."Well, if you look at him closely, he does look good."

That was a bad pun he made and he didn't care because he never had the intention to make a pun at a time like this when the blood slowly boiled in annoyance.

"This is not going to be a thing, is it? I mean why those who comes from a royal family always has the appearance that seems to be out of this world? Can you really call that's fair to boys like us?"

"You said that, does that mean you're including Lala?" Ito raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"No, I was talking about Ren only. Lala-chan is not somebody you can describe as out of this world, that is just too heartless." The black haired boy shook his head.

"Oh yeah, why is that?"

"Because Lala-chan….." Saruyama wiped his nose, smiling passionately."Lala-chan's appearance…..no, Lala-chan's beauty and her curvaceous, boing boing figure is the manifestation of a man dream! My dream! She is not out of this world, WRONG! Her beauty is at the top of the world! Where men and boys can feel the hope, the warmth, the softness, the loveliness of the one and only truth of the universe! Oppai!"

Listened quietly, Rito made a blank expression like one of the emo icons in the comment chat box. Ito just kept enjoying his drink and gave him a long, casual stare.

As if it wasn't enough to show them the fantastic dream of men, Saruyama decided to place his foot on the seat and stood up high like a way to color his belief, not before he stole a glance toward Lala's direction, at where the most dangerous weapon of a girl gently pounded up and down in the air while she moved her hip.

"When you look at it, you could feel your instinct telling you to take it all in, sink yourself in the endless bliss of the bosom and notice every single thumping sound of your racing heart." He placed both hands on his chest."Touch it, then you will know the moment you have finally achieved the dream of men, the most satisfying emotion and feeling in the world you can never compare. And that's…"

The oppai lover sat back down on his seat, eyes closing with a deep voice.

"That is where your dream comes true." Sounded so romantic in a creepy way.

All that speech and the next thing he did was sighing.

"To me, Lala-chan is like that, the embodiment of ours belief in breast."

Rito was like "don't use 'ours', and don't group us together with your belief."

"As for Ren, I said it's unfair but it's not like I dislike him either. He was a little bit annoying at first but for now, I'll admit, I think he's good." Saruyama nodded his head thoughtfully as he stated his opinion toward the transfer student.

"Ren-kun~, about this question…."

"Ren-kun, say ahhh~, I'll feed you."

"Hey, don't push me~."

"Girls, g-give me some space. I'll help everyone solve the problem one by one."

Ren was having a little bit trouble as the girls was quite enthusiast. The long line of students formed in front of him started to break. Being pushed back and forth, the girl right before him fell over but Ren quickly reacted by catching her in his arm.

The girl froze.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes….." She stared at him, face turning red.

Her body jolted up and the red color paint her face took a darker shade when Ren tried to move his hand.

"Hm? This softness….." Ren looked at where he put his hand around the girl's waist.

"….the butt….." Saruyama commented, his jaw dropped, the twin gave him a "Was that necessary?" look.

Immediately, Ren jumped with his face heated up.

"Ack! I-I'm sorry!"

"Kyann~~, he touched my butt." The girl seemed to look happy rather than embarrassed."But if it's Ren-kun, I won't mind."

"Ah! So sneaky, only you?"

The black haired boy began to have the urge to flip a table as he watched the sight.

"You know what, I take that back. That guy annoys the hell out of me! I mean how is that even possible?! The girl is not even mad! I curse the god of rom-com!" He hit his face on the desk in defeated, letting out a long sigh."Once again, I say I'm jealous. I want to feel the softness of oppai and butt, too."

"Saruyama…..buddy…"

"Yes, Ito…pal."

"I hope you won't end up first place in the discipline committee's black list because of those words."

"What?"

Ito responded to his questioning look by pointing at the window right next to the backdoor lead to the hallway. Behind the clean crystal glass, a male student with the committee armband was glaring intensely at Saruyama.

The boy paled in comparison. What an amazing, impeccable timing.

Saruyama stuttered his lip. While the male student caught him red-handed, his glare shifted to the other two boys.

"We're innocent."

"I'm sorry, we failed to stop him from his passion."

Quick replies from the twin and he nodded then turned to the other.

"You, come with me to the committee room….wait, where did he go?"

"Muhahahaha! You will never catch me! The dream of men will live ooonnnnnnnnn!"

By the time he noticed, the chair was empty, shaking slightly. Saruyama has already ran away.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Rito and his brother leaned out the window to see the discipline committee student chasing after Saruyama, both smiled wryly.

….

….

…..still no message.

Back to his seat, Rito checked the phone to see if there was something new from Zastin. His brother was reading a light novel in silence in his own spot. Saruyama has gone for a while, probably still busy hiding from the committee members.

Currently, he was passing the time by looking out the window next to his desk and embraced the bright, blue sky with a distant gaze like he always did.

….

 _Last night….._

 _After Run left the house, the twin had one last conversation with the Devilukean commander before they called it a night._

" _Zastin, tell us more about Zae Debidan." Ito started first as he poured another cup of tea and passed it to the silver haired man."We need to know everything we can get about that person so when the time comes, we know how to deal with him."_

 _Zastin drank the cup and placed it down on the table, giving some thoughts about the details he was about to say, the information of the self-proclaimed gentleman Zae Debidan._

" _Zae Debidan, as I mentioned before, is the first prince of planet Debian. The one who will become the next successor to his father, king Jae. The king has a big heart for his citizen and family, he coddles his children really much and the result came out of it as you had already saw, Zae-dono became spoiled."_

 _The brown haired boy let out an 'hmph', the king might be also a part to blame for Zae's problematic characteristic. Parenting wrong would lead your children to some pretty narrowed paths._

" _However, just because he is spoiled. It doesn't mean the prince has nothing to make the citizen of his planet acknowledge him. Zae Debidan has several talents, one of them includes the special combat skill that only the Debian has, he is an expert."_

… _.combat skill?_

 _Rito thoughts about the term._

" _Is it about the strange stance he went into?"_

" _Yes, that is precisely the one." Zastin folded his arm and nodded."According to my knowledge, Debian's combat skill is entirely based on the environment and opponent's movement. They use the strength of their enemy and twist the force by many clever moves to control the momentum and throw the enemy into rock, walls or anything that can cause hurtful impact once the collision happens."_

… _..basically a hard and soft type of martial art, huh. Using the opponent's strength against themselves, like judo._

… _..that sounds awfully familiar to judo._

 _The twin analyzed the info and arrived at the same conclusion. The way he threw Ren across the yard was the same type of technique._

" _Zae-dono is also very skill with guns and small weaponry. He is also a tactician considering he was given the authority to command the military units of Debian not long ago. I once heard a rumor about him working as a mercenary for some organization."_

 _Rito widened his eyes in shock._

" _Mercenary? His father even allow him to do that?"_

" _No, actually, I heard it among the guards in the royal palace when we visited Debian kingdom. Apparently, in the past, Zae-dono went out of his home without the king knowing to try many new activities he wasn't allow to do in the palace and mercenary was one of those."_

" _I see, so Zae is a former mercenary."_

 _That meant the king wasn't really spoil him too much, there were still some restrictions here and there._

" _Luckily, the mercenary job didn't work out much as the organization he joined in was wiped out a few days after by the galactic special force."_

" _Zastin, can I ask a question."_

" _Yes, Rito-dono?"_

" _I know this is not related to the topic we're discussing but what is the name of the mercenary organization Zae joined?"_

" _It was several years ago, so I don't remember much. But I recalled the name must be…." Zastin closed his eyes, searching the name in his memory."….._ _ **Red Fog**_ _, I believe. They were a small group of mercenaries that caused many disturbances on the Citadel, a deep space station that serves as the galaxy main central hub for commerce."_

 _Rito's right eyes made a slight twitch, something unknown rose in the back of his mind. The orange haired boy touched his head, looking around for no reason._

" _But why do you ask about it? Is there something wrong?"_

" _Ah, no." The boy smiled wryly."I'm just curious. Let's get back to the topic."_

" _Other than the people of Debian, outside the galaxy, not many rumors about Zae are good."_

… _not surprising._

 _The twin thought at the same time._

" _What can you tell me about the challenge he is going to give us? Any clue or hint of what kind of hobby he likes to have other than taking advantage of people's mistake so we can use it against him and win easily?"_

 _Rito sweat dropped at his brother. That was rather blunt for a question._

" _I'm afraid I don't know much about Zae-dono's hobby or what he likes. Ever since that mistake I made in the Debian royal palace, I have not come into contact with the prince until now. I only know he became a marriage candidate for Lala-sama when the emperor decided to give announcement about wanting to choose the next successor of the Deviluke Empire."_

 _Everything came to a standstill, they could only know more about the challenge Zae when it arrived. For now, they should make use of the info they had so far about him._

" _Good with gun…..an expert in his own kind of combat skill…..a self-proclaimed gentleman and a spoiled person…tactician…..hm, hm…"_

 _Ito had taken note of all the important details, he read it. The next thing he did was simply titling his head to the side with a blank face._

" _Wow, this guy's character concept is falling all over the place. He is not only childish but also talented and a former mercenary. He's like those temporary characters with poor background the lazy author added in later to the story to buff the main character's badassery."_

 _That was what you actually came up with?!_

" _I guess this is it. If nothing else, we will have to prepare for the unexpected in the upcoming challenge." Ito threw the pencil on the table, marking the end of the topic with no strategy came up whatsoever._

 _The room returned to silence as nothing more they could add in to the list of things they need to know about the dangerous man, who was seeking for Lala's freedom and happiness for his own._

 _Zae picked up the cup of tea and drank another small amount of it to clear the remaining of uneasiness that still resurfaced after the encounter with Zae. For now, he shall leave the challenge to the guardian in the rumor and his older brother._

… _..it's time I should go back to the ship._

 _Zastin put the cup down and readied to leave. However, the next question stopped him._

" _Hey, if you don't mind, can you also fill us in about the mistake he mentioned you did to him? Maybe we can help you sort it out."_

 _Rito was the one asking. The Devilukean commander blinked at him, wondering why he would be concerned about his past mistake._

"… _Rito-dono….."_

" _Talk to us, we're willing to listen to your problem." The orange haired boy insisted._

 _Zastin unknowingly formed a faint smile on his face, the commander felt grateful._

" _Very well, to be honest, the mistake I did to Zae-dono was not something I could forgive myself so easily. I had regretted a lot when I embarrassed him in front of the princess, the emperor and the royal family of Debian when we first visited their world."_

…

… _.._

 _That day several years ago could be described as the most unfortunate time for the number one sword man of Deviluke._

 _In the majestic hallway that filled with people's cheering in the Debian palace, both royal families greet each other as the new treaty was signed and political connection was strengthened between the two races._

 _While the queen and the king of Deviluke was busy making time with the king Jae Debidan, their comrade back in the Great Galactic War, Zastin was watching over Lala._

 _Around this time, the young princess was playing with her sisters. Zae and his sibling were also there with them although Lala didn't pay any attention to the prince's calling and sweet compliments._

 _She had created a new invention in the middle of the meeting. Immediately, like any other inventors, she wanted to test it right away._

 _Innocently, the girl pointed the machine toward the back of the commander. Poor Zastin didn't know he was the test subject._

 _One click of a button, everyone gasped in awe._

 _The device shot a bizarre sound wave toward the commander, knocking him sky high to the ceiling before falling right at prince Zae._

 _Everyone gasped bigger._

 _As Zastin had accidently tore a hole in the prince's clothe, right around the knee part where there were already holes as his sword suddenly activated due to malfunction. Many feminine screams echoed around the place, for what they saw was not a pretty side._

 _Zae's pant was fully pulled down as he lied unconscious on the ground together with Zastin. The little cute pink fabric with many images of a smiling star was displayed to the whole world._

 _The end._

… _.._

… _.._

 _Rito had his jaw dropped on the floor, it would get even longer if there was a plot twist._

 _Ito had a face that looked even dumber than Saruyama when he realized the toilet paper ran out in the middle of crisis._

 _After listening to the past mistake of the Devilukean commander, the twin could hardly move their mouth. The tension built up this whole time had completely disappeared._

 _What was this feeling they called when you don't know whether to decide to laugh your ass off or cry to your heart content?_

" _And that is the whole story." Zastin finished with a somber face."I embarrassed him in front of everyone, even the king, the queen and the citizens. I have made a grave mistake."_

 _No….._

 _Stop….._

 _Seriously, no matter how you looked at it…._

 _Ito rubbed his cheek several times, he didn't know how to react to this and what kind of face should he be making before he gave some comments about the story._

 _Rito remained awfully quiet, sweat dropped. The boy tried to gather his thought but nothing came out._

 _They were totally dumbfounded._

 _At the very least, there was one obvious things they could make out._

 _No matter how you looked at it…._

… _..Lala…._

… _it was Lala…..._

 _This silver haired man was nothing more than a clumsy, innocent person. To think it would be the princess who started it all._

" _I have also brought this heavy feeling I carried on my shoulder and consulted it with your highness sometime. But all he said was that it was not my fault and I should forget about it."_

… _he knew the cause._

… _..the father knew his daughter was the cause._

" _Despite the king had showed his compassion to someone like me, still, I just couldn't forgive myself for it."_

… _..no, you don't have to._

… _..you don't even have a guilt to begin with._

" _After the ruckus, I tried to give my deepest apology to Zae-dono. Yet it wasn't enough, he rejected it all and declared it was my fault it happened. He also said he will remember the humiliation of that time."_

… _that candidate turned a blind eye to it._

… _.he definitely turned a blind eye to it._

" _Z-Zastin, I don't think the one at fault is you." Rito said. "Honestly speaking, you shouldn't have worried about it too much."_

" _?!"_

" _Lala's father, the Devilukean Emperor, said it to you, right? He told you to forget it, wouldn't that mean he believed you were not the cause for Zae's circumstance?"_

 _In conclusion, the whole thing was nothing more than an accident. As innocent a girl like Lala, she probably wouldn't mean to cause trouble to the Debian family and to her own._

" _But….." Zastin wanted to retort but words didn't come out._

" _Don't be too hard on yourself. You're Lala's one and only royal bodyguard, you should look straight ahead instead of looking behind." The orange haired boy looked directly into the commander's widen eyes."Because if you don't, if you keep on reflecting on your past like that, you'll lose sight of her and yourself, just like earlier."_

 _Right that instant, the number one sword man of planet Deviluke came to realize an important thing about the orange haired boy, Yuuki Rito. Willingly to help him and understand his troubling past mistake, the guardian in the rumor really was more than just an ordinary Earthling._

" _You really are kind, Rito-dono." Silently muttered those words, Zastin was glad that his princess has met such a good person._

 _He was right to entrust the Devilukean princess to this boy._

… _..it is such a relief._

" _You right, my past mistake doesn't matter anymore. From now on I shall look ahead of me, it would be regretful if I cannot live up to Lala-sama's expectation and the number one sword man title I achieved during the war. Thank you again, Rito-dono."_

 _Rito smiled sheepishly._

" _I really didn't do anything."_

 _The other boy clapped his hand, deciding to close the conversation._

" _Alright, guess that would be the end of it. Let's call it a night, don't want to stay up late or Mikan will get angry." Ito stood up from his sofa and stretched his shoulder, ignoring the questioning gaze Rito sent him across the room at the last statement."Tomorrow, we'll fill in with Saruyama at school. Zastin, if you don't mind, inform my brother if the candidate finally decides on the specific content of his challenge or ups to something shady."_

 _The man made a firm nod at the request._

 _The late night briefing ended as Zastin departed to the entrance. Before he went out the door, the silver haired sword man spoke one more advice to the twin, especially the guardian in the rumor._

" _Please be careful, Rito-dono. Zae Debidan is a very dangerous man, if there is something he wants, he will try everything to get it by all means. Even though the demand he makes is nearly impossible, he will still get it in the end without laying a finger by talking to his father, I supposed you know that already."_

 _Without a doubt, they had to be extra careful._

 _By tomorrow, the true challenge awaited._

….

But so far, nothing happened yet.

Rito watched the clouded passed by the giant ball, which producing intense heat on the sky. The boy shifted his view to Lala, eyeing the emerald green eyes girl from the window while the said girl was chatting happily with her classmates.

….I wonder when the challenge will come.

Although he was looking at her, his train of thought was on a different track. The vision and the mind were working separately.

…guess the only thing I can do now is to be more patient.

He was quite concerned for Lala's safety at this point. In the previous encounters with the last two candidates, no challenge was given, they just straight up trying to capture or force Lala to be with them. This time was different, an unusual candidate who turned out to be a self-proclaimed gentleman and a spoiled prince wanted to take Lala away but in the end, it all came down to the challenge he thought of in order to defeat the guardian.

It was the first time, the boy didn't know what kind of challenge he should be prepared for is approaching. He didn't know what to be expected to happen.

Considering it was a challenge from an alien, it might be something out of the expected.

That was why mental prepare should come first.

Rito felt his body turned stiffed due to the tension, he looked back at the sky to let his mind be soothed by the calm wind.

Worrying too much won't do him any good.

Lunch break was still long, there would be plenty of time to relax. Rito reached to his school bag and took out some of the books. The boy wanted to create a pillow with good enough height for him to lean his head on and take some nap.

However, His cell phone rang before he was about to do so.

Rito reached to his pocket but stopped at the moment he noticed the figure of a blue short haired girl popped into his view.

"Y-Yuuki-kun."

Sairenji was in front of him, her fingers fidgeting as she tried to make some words go out. She has finally mustered the courage to ask him.

"What is it, Sairenji?"

"…um…..last night….." Her lip slowly moved.

"…."

"….about last night, were you…." The girl slightly wavered, tugging the edge of her skirt.

"Last night?"

Sairenji tightened her grasp on it. It's easy, just let the word flows out.

"…y-yes, last night, were you…"

The world around her spun in the heat that was slowing burned on her cheek.

"?" The boy waited for a moment and received no respond, he noticed something."Sairenji, your face looks red. Are you feeling well?"

"Heh?!" Panic, she covered her cheeks, clumsily stumbled back a step. She waved her hand cutely as if to hide her feeling."N-no, it's nothing! I'm fine….actually, n-never mind."

Sairenji turned and walked away as she blushed, not enough courage it seemed.

The orange haired boy looked at the girl getting back into her seat, still confusing a little toward her shyness. Scratching the back of his head in clueless, he finally looked at the message in his phone.

Rito blinked at the content, his eyes narrowed, somewhat confused.

"This is….."

Unknown to him, Sairenji Haruna was so embarrassing that she felt ashamed for missing a good opportunity to talk to him.

…Ahhhhhh! What have I done?! Sairenji baka, baka! You missed your chance again!

The girl screamed internally in her mind, disappointment started to sink deeper. She hoped he won't think of her as a weird girl for suddenly acting like that.

Thankfully, Sairenji didn't have to worry about it since the boy paid no mind to her strange question.

Because something urgent has arrived.

Rito went out of his seat and rushed right in between Ren and the group of girls surrounding him. The boy whispered something into the other boy's ear and they both left the classroom.

Those two didn't know they had got everyone's attention.

"I wonder where Rito is taking Ren-chan to."

And Lala's question just helped sparking up they curiosity even more, Momioka and Sawada in particular. The two girls were greatly interested in this unforeseen development between the boys. As they watched Rito and the transfer student, his love rival in their eyes, moved to the backyard of the school ground, the corner of their mouth perked up into a teasing grin.

"Hoho~, this is really intrigued."

"Kyaahh! What is it?! Finally a fight over Lala-chii?!"

The group of girls were quite disappointed when Ren was taken away but seeing this, they couldn't help but wanting to scream in excitement. Oh, the drama of a love triangle.

Meanwhile, the boys were suppressing their desperate tears. Their beautiful idol and goddess was about to be taken.

Technically, they weren't wrong. Fifty over fifty, there might be a chance Lala will really have to marry the candidate whom they didn't have a clue about if the guardian, whom they also had no clue about, were to be defeated in the upcoming challenge.

Funny, it would be a secret they will never know.

Sitting inside a corner, Ito kept his mouth shut and just read the novel, he knew the true reason why those two left but interfering the girls' joyful moment might be a bad move on his end.

He figured it would be better to leave the girls to their soap-opera fantasy.

…..

…..

….

"What is it, Yuuki Rito?" Ren raised an eyebrow at the orange haired boy's back."Why are you leading me to this place?"

The two were currently in the backyard of the school, near the incinerator that students and the staff often burned the garbage.

Since that place was pretty much lied a short distance from the entrance lead to the old school building, it was the perfect spot as no one often wander around that place.

Rito turned around and showed him the message on his phone.

"Message from Zastin." Rito said, his expression was serious."It's about the challenge Zae Debidan gives us."

Ren took a closer look at the scene. Slowly, his eyes widened as incomprehension clouded his thought.

The boy read the text out loud.

" **A racing contest?"**

/

* * *

 **Author's note: That's the end of the chapter, the challenge will be something new to work with.**

 **What do you think?**

 **Now, for the references.**

 **To those who has already read Index stories including LN, anime, manga, spin-off, etc. I guess I don't need to say anything more about this 'Biribiri' reference. Yes! You guessed right and maybe from the beginning you had suspected it right, [Daigo Madoka] is none other than [Kamijou Touma]. No more mystery about him because it has been too obvious at this point(my intention, alright? It's...i-it's not like my clumsy writing let the cat out of the bag! It's p-purely my intention, okay!). He is not an OC, he is definitely Touman in existence but without his birth name. Near the conclusion of this arc, the story could be a little bit cross-over but the main concept of the story will still be on pointed. How will it turn out, you will see.**

 **Also, BOOM! Took long enough to reveal this but finally I made it! Those who had played the famous trilogy of Mass Effect should have recognized those terms I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. That's right! The universe this story takes place is a mixed of TLR and Mass Effect concepts(minus the characters). Ahh~, after fixing that damm plot hole, to be able to make it this far (even if it has been only a few chapters) really brought tears to my eyes.**

 **So, again what do you think?**

 **Review the chapter if you please, criticsm is also greatly appreciate. I'll see you in the next note.**

 **P.S:** ** **A few words from my dear readers is enough to increase my motivation gauge~!****


	27. Chapter 27: Racing Contest-Supporters

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Love-Ru series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 27:**

 **~Racing Contest_Supporters~**

[Rito-dono,

Zae Debidan-dono had sent me a message about the challenge he prepared for you. He wants the guardian to join in a racing contest with him.

The location where match takes place will be the town river bank. Today at midnight, he will meet you there.]

That was the full content of the message from Zastin.

"A racing contest?" Ren shot a confused gaze at the boy.

"Well, I a-actually confuse about this, too." Rito awkwardly scratched his cheek."If this is the challenge Zae chose for us, then I guess we have no choice but to participate in it."

Ren gave a nod in understanding the orange haired boy's mean. However, the serious expression he made next startled him.

"For that, there is something I need to ask you?" Rito's iris turned sharp."This is very important."

Slightly taken aback by the intense gaze his rival was showing, Ren unknowingly gulped and responded.

"Okay….I'm listening." Ren narrowed his eyes, prepared himself for the decisive question.

The atmosphere became increasingly tensed at the moment Rito closed his eyes, taking in a deep breathe. He stared straight into the alien boy's eyes as his eyelids opened.

The important question came.

"Do you know how alien races?"

"Huh?" Ren made a dumbfounded face.

"Do you know how-"

"No no, I heard you, Yuuki Rito. I'm just confused, what do you mean when you asks me that kind of question?"

"I mean to ask you about what the alien is usually do in a racing contest." Rito put away the phone, no need to show the message further."You studied Earth culture so I assume you must have at least come through on some spots which related to racing competitions. Are the racing contest and spots alike outside the Earth somehow similar to what we have in our culture? I'm wondering about that."

…..then why the serious face?

The partial white haired boy thought, sweat dropped at the reaction he gave out earlier.

"Ah, if it's about that then…" Folding both arms, Ren proudly spoke."Let me enlighten you, Yuuki Rito!"

Ren's sudden enthusiasm nearly caused Rito to jump in surprise. Since this was the first time someone depended on him, he felt great.

"Exactly as you said, I had did some research on various interesting activities related to the contest of speed on this planet by the info and knowledge I got from the universal database." Ren explained, a hand ran through his hair with unknown glittering background appeared behind him."Running, swimming, cycling, marathon, motor racing, etc. To be precise, there are plenty of spots on this planet that are similar to those from other cultures out there in the galaxy. Albeit, there might be a slight different in the applied rules for the participants to play, yet the difference between the contest of speed on Earth and from out there is not that much noticeable, almost the same."

Rito slightly nodded his head as he listened.

"I see, not much different, huh." The orange haired boy posed a question when Ren finished his speech."Ren, do you know how to race?"

The questioned boy shook his head.

"I have never attended in a race before so I don't have any experience." He raised up a finger."But I do know one golden rule in a challenge where speed decides all. If I race, I just need to be fast."

If you are the fastest, you are the victor.

A quote Ren learned from his time of studying planet Earth and its people. And now they will need to make full use of that line by engraving it deep into their mind for the upcoming challenge tonight.

"Simply saying, it's like the daily activities I competed with you yesterday." Stopped being handsome, Ren gripped his hands tightly, showing determination."This time, since it's a racing contest to decide Lala's happiness and freedom, I'll definitely take part in and win with everything I got."

"Alright."

Rito put a hand to his chin, lost in thought for a moment.

But why a race?

He was wondering about that.

Zae Debidan, a former mercenary and an expert in weaponry and Debian's exclusive combat skill. Why would he choose something that seemed way out of line and not in his expertise?

"…strange." The boy muttered, Ren saw his lip moved but he didn't hear any word.

It didn't make any sense.

….there's no point to ponder over it, I guess.

Seemingly for now, the only way he could be sure about the whole racing contest Zae challenged him was to wait until midnight.

Everything would become clear when that moment came.

"By the way, Yuuki Rito." All of sudden, Ren placed a hand on Rito's shoulder, gripping it firmly."You asked me how do we alien compete in a contest of speed, then what about you?"

"?"

"Knowing what we will have to do tonight, let me pose a question in return just to make sure." The partial white haired boy slightly narrowed his eyebrow."Have you ever raced before?"

"I have." Rito nodded in respond."I entered track and field event back in middle school. Though, it was just only that one time."

"Only that? Nothing else?"

"Other than that, I did some racing with nii-san during winter to warm up and strengthen my health. But that doesn't count, those time were just practicing jogging…so…" The orange haired boy shook his head."No, there's nothing else."

Basically, to sum it up…..

"T-That means you only have a one-time experience with racing….." Ren's mouth started to form a big gap as if a thunder carried bad news to his ear.

"Well, you can say it like that." The guardian in the rumor scratched his cheek with a clumsy smile, not noticing his self-proclaimed rival's reaction."Ahahaha….."

The boy laughed, not entirely proud of the fact that he was an amateur. On the contrary, those "ahaha" of his didn't show the slightest hint of emotion, completely monotone.

This looked bad, didn't it?

"Don't you ahaha me, Yuuki Rito! Do you have any idea what that means?!" Ren grabbed both shoulders and shook his rival like crazy."We are about to enter a race tonight and yet you and I have almost zero experience in this kind of challenge! This is bad! This is seriously bad! You are her guardian! If you lost to Zae, who knows what will happen to my beautiful, gorgeous goddess Lala-chan?! I refuse to accept this!"

"R-Ren, c-calm down!"

"How can I calm down?! Tell me, Yuuki Rito! What should we do in this situation?! At this rate, Lala-chan will be taken away for real!" Ren won't have the will to calm down. He was in full panic mode."As her guardian, this is your responsibility, hurry up and figure something out to make up for your lack of experience!"

"…e-even if you say that, don't you think you're lacking more than me?! You have never joined in a race before yet you emphasized you will participate and win with everything you got!" Annoyed for being shook rapidly by Ren, Rito held his wrists to stop the shaking."Of course I will find a way to make up for what I'm lacking but since this is about Lala's freedom and happiness, you should do something about yourselves and to help me prevent the worst scenario from happening, too! You love Lala, didn't you say so yesterday?!"

"Wha..guh….y-you…you d-don't have to say it so loud!"

"What are you getting all embarrassing for? You compliment Lala in front of everyone in ours class all the time."

"Complimenting is one thing, confessing is another different thing!"

The two kept arguing with no positive plan to break out from their own problem. Either way, they both were in a disadvantage, a challenge that none would have expected from the candidate.

Such a dilemma they were trapped in.

"Alright, alright~, cut that out you two!"

Rito and Ren flinched as a girl's voice barged in to stop the little bickering. Behind the corner, Momioka and Sawada popped out, amusement filled the look on their faces as if they knew this would happen, the drama of two boys fighting over a girl.

"Man, both of you are so ardent~." Momioka said with a teasing smirk.

"Such adolescences!" Sawada were excited.

The boys shared a confused stare altogether at the girls, wondering why these two were here.

"Showing your passion is good, but nothing will be solved if all you do is quarrel with each other, you know."

"Yes, yes~, the important thing is how Lala-chii thinks and her feelings!"

Rito blinked at those words. What were they talking about, he asked himself.

"So~, here is an idea we suggest for you." Momioka pointed at them."Why don't you two have a match…."

"To decide which one of you is suitable for Lala-chii?" Sawada continued, the girls were doing a good job in combining their speech.

Taking their baffle gazes which fixed on them as the cue, Momioka and Sawada decided to push the great idea into the light.

"A kiss!"

"A what?" Rito asked, didn't really follow, but his question didn't reach any of the two excited girls, who was flowing with the thrilling of a love triangle drama.

"Yup! Whoever gives Lala-chan a passionate kiss first today will win!"

The girls shared a high five with each other and observed the reaction from the boys.

"….."

"…"

Much to their surprise, Rito and Ren remained silent at their proposal.

A moment later, the final answer came out.

" **I'll pass."**

The boys spoke up at the same time.

"Eh?!"

"You're not going to have a match? Why?!"

"It is an interesting offer but I will respectfully decline." Ren said, folding his arm.

"I have no idea why you would give us such an idea like that. More importantly, why are you two following us in the first place?" Rito questioned.

The two girls stared at the orange haired boy in awe. More importantly? There was this issue they thought he was fighting over with Ren just a moment ago about the emerald green eyes princess and he took their presence here as a priority above that?

This was about Lala, wasn't it?

"We thought you two were fighting over Lala-chii."

"So we followed to stop you from hurting each other if you guys were to end up brawling for real."

Once again, the girls did a splendid job for supporting each other words. Too bad the circumstance was not as they thought they knew.

"Fight?"

"Why would we fight over Lala?"

"Eh?"

Momioka and Sawada once again stood in shock.

"Wait, that argument before wasn't about Lala-chii?" Momioka was literally confused.

"It was about Lala." Rito answered with honesty.

Indeed, they were mentioning her, only a little though.

"But I'm sure is not the way you were expecting? Hang on, what were you two expecting us to say?"

"Something cheeky and a little bit romantic, like…..." Momioka turned to her friend, raising her voice."Lala is mine! You don't have the right to love her!"

In return, Sawada also followed suit her action.

"No way! I have been with her long before you! I know her and I love her deeply, more than you!"

"…..like that…."

"What are you taking me for, Momioka?" Rito sweat dropped.

"Hm, not bad. If it was me, I would have said something similar." Ren nodded, satisfaction showed on his face.

The alien boy earned a blank stare from the orange haired boy.

"You agree with them?"

"My feeling for her is real."

"See! That's why let's have a match to determine who loves Lala-chan the most!"

Sawada raised the topic once more only for her attempt to be shot down in a beat.

"Sorry, I'll pass."

"We don't have time for this."

Because they already had a very important match reserved for tonight. They needed to prepare for everything to protect the freedom of the Devilukean princess.

"You two are no fun." Sawada pouted."And here I thought we would have those excited moments of romance like in the movies."

Momioka gave a patted on Sawada's shoulder and shrugged. So much for wishing to enjoy a soap-opera skit in real life.

While the girls were indulging themselves in disappointment, Rito and Ren turned their back and whispered something.

Done, they gave a nod with determined eyes. The two started to leave, that was the end of their discussion about the challenge.

Watching the boys' backs from behind as they made their way back to classroom, Momioka and Sawada has caught that in their sight.

It was hard to believe.

They didn't fight over Lala.

They refused the chance to scold a point in Lala's heart by having a match with each other.

They acted all secretive.

Up to this point, Momioka and Sawada realized something was really suspicious about those two.

"Those two are hiding something."

"Yup, definitely is."

They weren't wrong. Sometime, a girl's intuition can be incredibly sharp.

…..

…..

Rito briefly glanced back at the girls over the corner of his eyes, something told him he has gotten unnecessary attention.

….I hope they are not suspecting us for anything.

Too bad, they already did.

"Hey, Yuuki Rito."

"?"

"Last night, you let Run borrows your coat, didn't you? I'll return it to you when school ends."

Rito gave him a nod and kept walking behind him. However, Ren suddenly stopped on his track, turning to look at him straight in the eyes.

"By the way…about that coat, the symbol."

"….."

Ren spoke to halt and eventually left it there. He wanted to say something to the boy, the words that described his thoughts were ready but he stopped.

Rito raised his eyebrow at the silence he brought up.

"What about it?" The orange haired boy asked, pushing the word out of Ren's mouth.

"Where did you get it?"

"A friend gave it to me as a present for special occasion." The boy casted down his gaze to the ground, muttering quiet under his breath."Although I don't really remember when that happened."

"I see. I'm just curious."

But why the curiosity then?

Ren turned around and walked ahead a few steps before coming to a stop again.

"Thanks, Yuuki Rito, for helping my sister." Hearing that, Rito looked up, he could only see the back of the alien boy's head.

The boy blinked, slightly surprised at the sudden gratitude.

"I love Lala-chan and I also care about Run, too. I didn't plan to have her got involved with my selfishness. But in order for me to bring back my connection with Lala-chan, I have to do this. I know Run has put up a lot for me this whole time ever since we came to Earth, due to our unique trait as the Memorzorian. I was afraid that my little sister would feel lost in a strange world, afraid that she would get into troubles with me not being around when she needs me the most."

"….Ren."

…..so he knew.

He was awake during that time.

"Yesterday, you were willing to lend Run a hand with her trouble, comforting her in your house after we encountered that crazy candidate. Since we both are connected by emotions and feelings, I can tell that she was relieve because of your hospitality."

"I didn't really do anything special."

"No need to be modest, Yuuki Rito. It's the truth, Run felt safe and happy because you were there to help her at the time. As her brother, I am glad."

A faint smile showed on Rito's face, but it dropped instantly when Ren pointed a finger at him.

"But d-don't think this will change our relationship! You are still my rival and I won't back down just because you helped her, all things should be fair and square. Anyway, I'm going back to class."

After declaring that, Ren walked away, back to the building. Only Rito stood behind with a sweat drop icon on his head.

…..

…..

….

Time moved forward, night came.

Like usual, Rito watched the stars from his window after everyone has finished with dinner.

The moment of decide was drawing near, the very first challenge of the candidates to the guardian in the rumor. Lala's freedom will entirely depend on the outcome of his performance.

Clock on the desk was tickling non-stop. While sitting on the bed, Rito's leg shook continuously, feeling somewhat nervous.

….racing….I wonder what kind of race Zae is planning to compete with the guardian…..

The orange haired boy pondered about the trial, about the reasons why Zae would choose something out of his field of expertise to challenge him. It was unusual, however, from what Zastin has told him, he could see that Zae Debidan was the kind of person who wants to have a taste of new things, things that had his interest, things that he was not allowed to do back in his home world.

The boy gave a very deep thought about it, then again if you think about this outside the box, it could somehow make a little bit of sense.

…..probably his hobby.

Rito shifted his gaze to the glowing moon, he has this one distant look that pierced through even the thickest layer of transparent lights the silvery planet emitted.

 _ **KSkssk!**_

"Hm?"

Without a particular reason, Yuuki Rito jolted and rubbed his eyes, looking at the moon again. For a second, his vision flicked, the boy thought the moon has just turned from white-silvery to deep red.

Lowering his gaze to the right arm wrapped in bandage, Rito let out a small sigh. Just a weird imagination, he said to himself.

He was worrying too much.

…..it can't be a hallucination…..can it?

The boy had no idea, yet, he felt unease. As if what he just saw in that one second was the sign of ill omen.

…

…

A few knocks echoed on the door, Rito turned his head as it opened. His brother was standing outside, giving him a sign on his hand.

"It's time." Rito understood his brother without needed to say those words.

Closing the window, the boy jumped out of his bed and grabbed the black hoodie he hanged on the chair. The symbol of N7 revealed, neatly sparked a light as he fixed up the sleeve to cover his entire right arm.

Finally, it was midnight. The perfect time for both the candidate and the guardian to freely do things outside the plane of Earthling's knowledge without afraid of being interrupted or discovered.

The people of Sainan has gone to a very deep sleep. There will be a confrontation that none of them would aware. In a few more hours, will things change or stay the same, the result of this challenge will give way to the answer.

Rito crossed the corridor, taking each of his steps as lightly as he could. He wouldn't want to disturb Mikan and Lala in their sleep. Before leaving the house with Ito, just in case, he needed to be sure to check on the alien girl. Rito stood before Lala's room, he turned the doorknob and took a quick peek through the gap.

…..empty?

The door to Lala's room swung open, no one was inside.

….don't tell me?!

Panic took over, he ran in, searching for any abnormal sign showed that she was teleported away. He went over everything, every stuff inside that small space yet no clue was found.

…it can't be! When?!

"Lala!" Rito yelled her name in panic, hoping this wasn't what he thought it was.

" **Lala-san is waiting for you down stair."**

"Heh?" Rito flinched as his head spun to see the little sister of the Yuuki family stood outside the room."M-Mikan?"

So it really wasn't what he thought then.

"Honestly, why are you suddenly called her name out loud like that? You startled me, Rito."

"S-Sorry, I got panic when I didn't find Lala in her room."

Mikan raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk formed on her lip. She looked really amusing by his words.

"Oho~, you finally have enough courage to sneak into a girl's room. Hm, I see, I see~." Mikan giggled as she covered her mouth."Rito has finally reached adolescence."

"Uh….no, I was just checking on her. I was worried ever since that candidate came here last night." He retorted calmly with a straight face, totally not getting the tease his sister put him in."More importantly, why are you still awake?"

"You make it sounds strange. Of course, I would stay awake, how am I supposed to sleep when Lala-san's freedom is hanging on a thread tonight."

"?!" Rito felt his entire body froze like a stone.

"You are going to participate in the challenge Zae Debidan-san set up for you, aren't you?"

…eh?

The little sister knew about the whole event happened last night?! How could this possible? He hasn't spoken a word with her about it.

"Mikan, h-how did you….?"

"Ito told me."

"Nii-san did?!"

Rito's jaw hit the floor as he turned paled.

…

…

"Woah~, the sky at night is so beautiful! And the moon is very big!"

"Does your home world has a moon, Lala-san?"

"Hm~, Deviluke has a couple of moons floating around it but the colors they have are different." Lala pointed up at the dark horizon glittering with stars."When night comes, the whole sky will always appear in a dark shade of pink and you can see many river of stars streaming through the broad universe."

"Hehh~, I guess such a sight must be really pretty."

"Yes~, yes it is."

…..that's sound interesting.

Rito glanced over his shoulder to the two girls, who was happily chatting, never mind the cold breeze of spring. Realizing he was trailing off from his thought, the boy shook his head and tried to focus more on the important matter at hand, the safety of those two.

"Nii-san, is this really okay? I don't think bringing Lala and Mikan with us is a good idea! Knowing that sly alien, he might lead us into a trap."

"I thought about it. But listen, it's better than leaving them in the house alone. Who knows what Zae is scheming and what he would do if you were a hundred miles away from her."

The twin brothers were whispering to each other while walked ahead of the girls, obviously conflicted with the idea of having Lala and Mikan appeared at the location where a challenge was waiting for them.

Rito didn't want to put Mikan and the Devilukean princess in danger, which was why he had never said anything to the two about this trial. The boy figured that he would tell them after this is over.

That was the original plan. Yet, it became more complicated with Ito when he thought of various scenarios that might happen when they leave the princess and the little sister alone in the house.

Zae Debidan was sly but predictable as he always depends on someone else to get things done.

Whatever he could make out from running a simulation inside his head in a short period, there were a few ways Zae could use to get to Lala assuming the racing contest was a distraction.

Teleported, using alien technology.

Kidnapping, using his men (if he has one).

Deceiving, the most desperate one. Waiting for the guardian to go away from Lala, leaving the princess vulnerable and strike. Or sets up a trap during the challenge and eliminates the guardian for good.

"Well, since Zae is a royalty, if he ever considers to throw away his pride and resort to dirty tactics then maybe we should concern about the last one."

"We could have at least ask Zastin to watch over them."

"It's a racing contest, we don't know if there is a referee to prevent someone from cheating. Even if there is, Zae could have bribed them and gain total control over the entire match. To prevent that kind of situation from happening, Zastin should be there to observe for us."

"…but…"

"Rito, this is a challenge Zae set up for you. You will have to play by his rules in order to defeat him. Anything can happen so it's best to choose the safest path and be cautious."

It made sense, his brother had truly thought over every possible routes and scenarios to arrive at the best solution.

The orange haired boy let out a sigh, his eyes looked down at the solid road as he walked. Noticing that cheerless expression, Ito gave a light pat on his young brother's back, flashing him a thin smile.

"Straighten up your back, don't worry too much about other things. For now you just need to think about defeating him together with Ren. As for Lala and Mikan's safety, you can leave it to me and Saruyama."

"Heh? Saruyama is going, too?" Rito looked at his brother, surprised by the fact that his best friend will join in the group tonight."…..ah, right. I shouldn't be surprised at this point."

The guardians.

Official and unofficial.

Ever since the shopping trip, the three of them has already in this together.

"Alright." Feeling his anxious is unneeded, Rito closed his eyes, gathering his thought and set up a clear goal for him to fully concentrate on."I'll leave them in your care, nii-san…..Saruyama, also. "

Ito nodded. Then, a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Actually…it's not just me and Saruyama."

"….eh?"

There was a long pause after that.

…...

….

Rito's eyebrow raised high, the pair of golden eyes expanded wide, mouth agape as if the boy was trying to process the visual info his iris captured.

"Nii-san, since when?" Rito's shaking finger trailed to a group of individuals waiting for them.

"I sent a message to everyone in the Yorozuya to ask for their support." Ito smiled."And here they are...two of them, the others didn't make it as they are away from town."

"Lala-chan~, over here! Over here!" Saruyama waved his hand up in the air, his eyes sparkled in excitement as he saw the emerald green eyes girl in sight.

"Took you guys long enough." Gin, the silvery haired boy with a natural perm, said uninterested while picking his nose, the Yorozuya owner made his appearance again. There seemed to be heavy bag under his eyes though."Let's finish this quickly then we can go home and sleep or else I might have to sleep in tomorrow classes."

"You always sleep in class." Daigo, the spiky haired boy who was favored by the god of misfortune, was next to him, sweat dropped.

"Go to bed on time is really important you know, it is a basic human need. Each day you have to ready to pick yourself up early in the morning and fight your way through a couple of ninja students to get to school as morning exercise, not to mention trying to swallow the painful lessons into your stomach for over half a day. All the process is a pain in the butt, I rather balance my sleeping time by skipping school, that way I can ensure that I can have enough sleep to run the Yorozuya properly."

"You just don't want to study." Daigo retorted after Gin finished spouting random nonsense."Stop using Yorozuya as an excuse."

"Tell you what, recently I only sleep about three hours per day. Whenever I thought about the troubles people is burdened on their shoulder every day, I can't even get a decent wink of sleep. Just thinking about it worries me so much and I want to do something for them."

"You're just playing games too much! And the people you mentioned are just NPCs!"

"Oi, NPCs are people too, you know! Screw the computer programming or artificial intelligence nonsense! I helped them and they paid me back with reward, don't destroy my gaming experience! I need to release stress sometime!" Gin shouted back at Daigo, he seemed to be in distress."This world is cruel enough for Gin-san!"

The group stared at Gin in awe as he fell down on all four, cursing the world was unfair.

"What's wrong with Kozad-kun?" Clueless, Lala innocently asked.

"It's nothing major." Daigo replied with a tired smile."He's just in a very bad mood."

"Why is that?" Mikan was concerned, but it was not like the silvery haired boy needed that.

"I have no idea."

Ito placed a hand under his chin, thinking, observing Gin for a moment. His eyes brightened as an idea popped into his head, the boy did a palm-fist tap gesture.

"Ah, I get it. That's why you are depressing." His statement got everyone to look at him."So the rumor is true like they said on the television, the weather lady is getting married."

That hit somebody's nerve.

" **AAAgggGGhghhhEEUfheh**!" Gin started to scream something impossible to make out."Must you pour salt on my wound, Ito?!"

The natural perm haired boy hit his face repeatedly on the ground. He was heart-broken but there was no tears coming out from his dead-fish eyes, except the red substance leaking on his forehead.

"Why?! Why does Ketsuno Ana has to get married?! Gin-san's soul is tearing apart into a thousand pieces!"

Mikan, Rito tried to appease Gin, who seemed to nearly reach the depth of the abyss with his emotions ran haywire. Lala just stood aside and watched as the girl had not yet got a full grasp on the circumstance. Saruyama took this chance to stay near the beautiful alien girl and he didn't help much.

While the group got their hands full dealing with Gin, Ito turned to Daigo, who simply sweat dropped at the sight.

"I thought you wouldn't come since you have to look after the nun. But if you are here, then who is watching over her?"

"Don't worry, Index is still sleeping peacefully back in the apartment with a friend. Luck-" Daigo covered his mouth, he almost jinxed himself with the forbidden word lucky me."I mean she'll be fine, I taught her how to respond in many emergency situations. If something bad happens, her friend will be there to help her, plus, Index has learned how to use the cell phone a little bit so there should be no problem…..in fact, I really hope there won't be one."

"Hope?"

Why hoping?

"I'm here to support you in the middle of a night time, there might be danger comes along the way during the challenge Rito is taking. And talk about danger, since this could be related to those bad things. I can't reveal this to Index, she'll get really worried if I run off to somewhere and end up getting myself into troubles."

"You're hiding this from her?"

"Yeah, and to tell the truth, I sneaked out."

Ito raised an eyebrow. Such drastic measure this spiky haired boy used, he won't let the nun worry about him.

"I feel guilty. But this is necessary, you need a hand at the moment so I came running along." Ito opened his mouth to say but Daigo raised a hand, stopping him."I read what you wrote in the message. Maybe I have my hand full by taking care of Index and dealing with other stuff. Still, that doesn't mean I would ignore somebody else when they are in need. I'm willing to make up the time to help my friends."

In the Yorozuya, putting customers' request aside, Daigo was a special case when it comes to helping people with their problems. He was not the kind of a person you could argue and win over this kind of topic. Knowing there was no way for him to tell his friend to go back to the young nun, Ito just shrugged it off with a smile.

"You sure you're not going to regret making this decision?" Ito averted his eyes a bit, looking over the boy, at the two shadows behind the corner of the empty street.

"No, I never regret about things I normally do."

"What if Index found out?"

"I'll just…say sorry." A drop of sweat dripped down his forehead as he imagined the outcome after that.

"I see." Ito gave his friend a pat on the shoulder and moved away."Good luck then."

"W-What?"

A dark aura formed behind him, Daigo jumped by the intense glare directed at his back. He did not dare to turn around, this deadly atmosphere felt awfully familiar. Daigo let a long sigh as he knew too well who it was, apparently, his plan has been busted.

"…In…..Index-san." He slowly turned around while backing away from the imminent death fang."I can explain."

Though, he never got the chance to do that. He could only mutter his catchphrase half-way before a pair of teeth of a certain gluttonous demon violently munched his head off.

…

…

…

Zastin stood on the side of the river bank, watching the pure current ran deep in between the silent mountains. On the sky, the moon rose high, brighter and bigger than any other days.

The time has finally come, only a few minutes left before the candidate appears and begins the trial.

Hearing the footsteps coming near, the Devilukean commander took a turn with his heel.

It was Ren, he arrived here a little bit sooner than his rival.

"…..Zastin."

"Ren-dono." The man gave a light bow at the prince of Memorze."Judging by the look in your eyes, I assume you have prepared yourselves for this trial?"

"Of course." Eager to be in the race right away despite nothing has started yet, Ren swung his fist with a fire burnt inside his hot pink eyes."I am ready to accept anything Zae is going to throw at me. I reviewed lots of info about many kind of contest of speed around the galaxy. I tried to practice some popular one over the simulator on my ship. Now that I have finally get a good grasp on most of it, I will definitely win this challenge and make Zae take back those insulted words of his."

….I'll prove to him the term girly prince never exists.

That was the worst kind of insult Ren could barely stand. And so, to win this challenge, he will use those words to fuel his determination further to make Zae swallow his menacing words. It will be the main goal for Ren to aim at for the time being.

Hearing another source of footsteps approaching, Ren turned to look. In his mind, he expected his rival, Rito, to have eventually reached this location.

But as soon as his eyes followed at the direction where a group of people walked out from one of many empty streets, his mouth fell agape.

"What the….?" Ren was taken aback.

The commander was unaware of the face Ren was making, however. He faced them as soon as he heard the footsteps.

"Finally, you have arrived, Rito-do…..no…." His voice trailed off, stunned by the sight."Wh-what happened?!"

Zastin hurriedly backed away a few steps as he saw a mass of darkish cloud covered a group of youngsters, gloomy, depressed like the sun has never risen in a decade.

Two of the boys with contradict hair color hang their head in defeated, one was weeping with anime tears, one was cursing tomorrow to never come. Imaginary black fog was radiating from them like some sort of disease.

"So cruel…..you are so cruel, Index. Why did you have to assault this poor Madoka-san?"

A young girl wearing the nun habit was also emitting a similar aura but nonetheless deadlier.

"It's your fault for making me worried." She looked away with a huff and pouted."Daigo is so insensitive."

"Onee-sama was right about you. She believes you would do anything to aid a person in need even if it means putting yourself in dangers. To think you would have gone this far, this Misaka has underestimated Onee-sama's opinion and your desire to protect others, said Misaka as she expressed her displease toward the boy's recklessness."

Another girl, who worn a goggles over her short brown hair, directed a very intense gaze at the boy with the spiky hair. The former showed little emotion on her facial expression.

"Don't mind about them, Zastin." Ito waved at him, smiling dryly."It's personal issue."

"Zastin, you're here!" The cheerful alien girl approached him.

"Yes, Lala-sama." The silver haired man placed a hand to his chest, putting on a solemn air of a faithful bodyguard."I am here to act as a middleman for this challenge."

"You will be the referee?" Rito asked."Did Zae ask you for this?"

"That is correct, Zae-dono wants me to be an official to oversee this challenge. I will be the one to enforce the rules and inspect the equipment of any participant in the contest of speed."

Rito's mouth formed an "O", nodding thoughtfully.

…he decides to play fair now?

…this might be a good idea.

"What about the rules? Can you tell us some of it?"

"Ah, yes, about the rules. Zae-dono will be the one to explain to you."

"Huh?" The twin widened their eyes.

"He said he will make a slight change to the common rules for this special occasion."

….playing dirty from the get-go, I see. What Rito thought.

….sounds shady as hell. What Ito thought.

…..ah~, Lala-chan is so sparkling. What Saruyama thought, obviously not paying any attention to the conversation.

"If you put it that way then basically, Rito will have to follow the candidate's rules from the beginning to the end of the challenge?" Mikan raised a question, the little sister was concerned, the fact that the guardians could be put in a disadvantage."Isn't that a little….."

"Yes, Mikan-dono. I'm afraid so." Zastin closed his eyes, confirmed."But worry not, I will make sure that both sides can have a fair match."

Mikan felt relief, it was good to know that Zastin would ensure no one will get the upper hand through some gaps in the rules.

The young sister looked at her orange haired brother. He and the new transfer student was having a small talk about their preparation. Mikan could tell Ren was acting really confident before Rito as if tried to pass the message "I will not lose." straight to his face. Finished, they let themselves doing their own stuff while waiting for the challenger. Even at this time, Rito still took a moment to stare at the night sky, eyes became distant as he was lost in thought.

Mikan wanted to say something to him. Yet, she wouldn't want to disturb his train of thought since the trial was coming closer.

She decided to leave him be.

But then again, not everyone could guess that much from watching the boy's reaction. Lala in her usual high spirit stuck her arm around his, which startled him, and encouraging him to win.

Later, the host of the challenge arrived, Zae Debidan appeared inside his custom spaceship as it floated above the river.

Except for some new faces he hasn't met, seeing the participants had all gathered, the self-proclaimed gentleman grin an unfriendly smile at them.

Without a word and without a warning, he pulled a device out from his jacket.

One click of a button.

Among the stars, a strong, bright light shot down the earth. Everyone who stood near there, beside the river bank, was consumed by it and vanished without a trace.

/

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Well, that's about it. Moments of crossed-over start after this and til the end of this arc.**

 **Review the chapter if you please. criticism is also greatly appreciate. I'll see you again in the next note.**


	28. Chapter 28: Preparation-Nervous

**Disclaimer: I do not own To Love-Ru series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28:**

 **~Preparation_Nervous~**

Rito widened his eyes in astonishment, one hand shielded the scar on his forehead from others' views as his hair fluttered in the air.

The strong wind blew, never stopped.

Beyond the clouds, the moon became the shiniest star in the darkish horizon. It was so enormous, so close, very close to where he stood. If he reached out his hand, he felt like he could grab it.

"….w-what is this place?" Saruyama let out a question that has been bugging everyone.

The orange haired boy scanned his surrounding, everyone was right there, next to him. Their gaze wandered to every directions and stopped at the captivated sight of the moon just like him a moment ago.

Everyone was filled with confusion.

"Zastin, do you have any idea where we are?"

"N-no, apparently, Zae-dono only told me to be the judge. He didn't inform me any of this."

Even the commander had no idea what was going on.

Rito bended down to inspect the ground where his foot stepped on. It was wavy-like in a familiar way, moving slowly like those passing clouds he used to watch and wait as they sometime hid away the constellation he was admiring.

It carried a bright shade of white color as if it held the reflection of the moonlight from above.

….hm?...wait a second.

"The ground…these are actual clouds." Realizing the truth of their whereabouts, Rito took a look around him one more time, a conclusion came.

He wasn't standing on the ground…or neither the clouds.

"We are standing in mid-air?!"

His discovery brought several gasps among the group, minus the scatterbrain princess as she was complimenting how big the moon looked from up close.

"This is…" Zastin the Devilukean commander gazed down at his feet, he could feel the hard, solid tension each time he shifted his leg to move."An invisible platform?"

In the little group of the spiky haired boy, the young nun in white habit was having a mild anxiety attack. In many attempts to check if the ground was indeed solid and not just some kind of absurd illusion, her trembled leg rose up and down, lightly kicking the ground which seemed to be made out of air with her heel.

Having been proved enough that what lied beneath her feet won't break, she turned to her caretaker.

"Daigo, Daigo!" Index tugged the spiky haired boy's sleeve while the latter turned around to look at her, still confused by the sudden change in scenery."Where are we? How did we end up here?"

"I don't know, Index. In fact, I'm still trying to figure that out." Daigo scratched the back of his head."This is rather strange, I feel like we have just been teleported."

"Teleported? I remember I caught a glimpse of a bright light shot down at us from the heaven. But it doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?"

"That light doesn't have any mag-" Index didn't manage to finish her respond as Daigo quickly covered the young nun's mouth.

"Okay, no need to go over there! I know what you are about to say but let's just keep those term to ours own world!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Saruyama chimed in.

"N-nothing!" Daigo stepped in between Index and him in panic, he tried to conceal the aspect of the world that his friend must not know by changing the topic."More importantly, does anyone knows where we are? This place is so vast."

"Isn't it obvious? We're in heaven." Gin said nonchalantly, apparently, he didn't care much of their current whereabouts."I wish tomorrow never come, Kami-sama listened to my request and we have just seen the end of the world. Well, good grief, I don't have to worry about Ketsuno Ana's marriage being broadcast on television anymore."

"As if! You need to stop depressing over the weather lady! At least be happy about it, she finally has someone whom she can smile with together to the end. It's a happy ending!"

Mikan sweat dropped at the two energetic boys who was arguing over some completely irrelevant topic.

"Gin-san and Madoka-san are always lively whenever they meet, huh. They really know how to kill the tension."

"You know what they say, the more the merrier." Ito commented, watching the sight with his little sister."Those two combines is like a comedy duo. We're lucky they're willing to spend time to help us with Rito's first challenge."

"Ito, the way you describe them doesn't add up to the last sentence."

"Those two combines is a tonic medicine for the smile."

"No, that still doesn't add up anything useful to the meaning."

Standing on the side, Rito smile wryly at the shifting in the mood of his group toward the situation. No one seemed to care about the reason why they were here in the first place.

…partly thanks to those two.

He eyed the tsukkomi pair, who were in the middle of a very tense argument about unrelated things. Their conversation always brought up a feeling of ease to those around them, Rito felt thankful for his friends have lent him a hand in this trial.

The boy looked down to his feet.

The clouds passed through his view. From here, Sainan town could be seen right below.

"What do you think of this, Yuuki Rito?" Coming to his side, Ren asked.

"I don't know." Rito shook his head, gazing at the landmark."Still, one thing for sure, we are way on top the town, maybe more than hundred meters."

"Estimating the distance."

The boys followed the voice behind them.

The short brown haired girl, who was with Daigo and Index, pulled down a set of goggle on the head to her eyes and made her way out from the group to an empty space. She calmly kneeled down, touching the solid ground with a hand.

Ren had no idea what she was doing until a spark of electricity shot out from the tip of her fingers. In a short moment, it disappeared as the charged static spread a short distance throughout the invisible surface.

"Judging by the velocity of the wind and the flat bases appearance of the surrounding clouds, we are about 2125m in altitude, directly above the cumulus type." The girl stood up, pushing back the goggle over her hair."Additionally, from what this unit can understand by reading the movement of the energy waves around us, it is safe to conclude that we're inside some kind of an unknown vessel. The interior may have been installed with the invisibility function to further gain a wider range of vision, says Misaka as she draws a logical conclusion of ours current whereabouts based on the environmental elements."

Aside from Index and Daigo, the others looked at her in surprise. That was such an intellectual explanation from a person who looked like a young middle school girl.

Though, only a minor fact remained that they saw it strange and she had them curious about it.

Why third person speech? Mikan, Ito, Ren, Saruyama, the Devilukean commander and Rito were questioning the same thing.

"Ne, ne Rito." Lala suddenly approached, popping out from the corner of the boy's eyes.

"W-what is it, Lala?" Slightly startled, Rito stumbled back.

"Look, look! Up there!" The alien girl pointed at something above their head."What is that? Is that a star, too?"

Rito perked his head up, squinting his eyes at the object Lala wondered about.

…..red?

Up there, a red circle appeared, translucent like a blurry picture. It stayed in mid-air, never move as if it existence itself was a decorated lamp.

As everyone was looking at it, the circle emitted waves of light. They moved in a wavy-like nature that depicted the true form of the vessel the participants were held in. The night sky started to change as they rushed past, revealing a much brighter color.

The wall surrounded the whole group from all sides. This entire time, they were in a very spacious room.

In front of them, there was an entrance made of solid material that couldn't be found anywhere on the planet, same as these walls. Through that big door, Zae made his appearance.

"Welcome to Zae Debidan's ship, my dear Lala." Zae glanced over Rito and the others."…..and the guardians."

His voice filled with disdain, caused the boys to narrow their gaze in respond. That candidate really wanted to pick a fight.

"Now then, as I had declared before, I'll give you a challenge and you will have to participate in it. Zastin-sama here will be the judge." Zae walked toward the orange haired boy, saying out loud. "However, just so you know, bringing more comrades doesn't mean the table would turn that easily. You all will have to play by my rules."

The Debian prince made a smug face, he has been waiting for this moment.

But…

That expression didn't last much, it disappeared instantly when his eyes caught the N7 symbol attached on the boy's hoodie.

"…." Zae's intense gaze locked on that familiar symbol, he could have sworn he saw it before.

"What?"

"N-no, it's nothing." Startled by Rito's question, he quickly regained his composure and looked away.

Saying nothing was just a way to camouflage the nervous feeling Zae almost exposed on reflex. He nearly paled when he remembered.

"You…." Coughing as his voice shook unknowingly, Zae pointed at it."Where did you get that?"

All eyes directed to the orange haired boy. Rito looked down at his own jacket as the silence lingered.

"It's from a friend, what about it?"

Hearing that casual answer, Zae realized he has put himself in a tricky position. He couldn't make out the reaction of the guardian when he answered him. Barely a hint of emotion flashed across Rito's face.

"Oh, and who is this friend of yours?" He decided to give this another push.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Do forgive me, it is just my curiosity."

He wanted to know how did this thing existed in this remote region of the galaxy. After all, that symbol belonged to…..

" **I don't know."**

"Huh?" Zae's eyebrow twitched.

What kind of respond was that?

"Zae-dono, it's time." Zastin stepped in, interrupting the conversation."Would you please show them the rules and explain the condition needed fulfilled for your challenge?"

Zae was annoyed, he tried not to show it to the commander and especially Lala. He backed away, to the center of the room before taking another glance at that symbol.

There wasn't much he could think of how did that thing was here. Yet, at the very least, he knew one thing.

The boy who wore that uniform, by chance, might not be as simply as the guardian in the rumor like everyone around the galaxy has believed.

Still…..

For now, he should just concentrate on defeating him. It didn't matter even if that Earthling boy was more than just a guardian. Once he defeated him in this trial, things will be over and he can have his dear future wife for himself.

"Well, without further ado, let's proceed, shall we?" Zae waved his hand and a hologram appeared in front of Rito and the others."This is the rules of my challenge to you, read it carefully."

Rito eyes slightly twitched as he stared at the board.

….this person…..

None of the lines on the hologram were written in Earthling's languages.

"Oops, pardon me. I forgot." Zae flicked his finger, the scene changed."Now you can read it."

Clearly, he was toying with them. Has the throw from last night got to his head?

A short moment was spent for the group to learn the new rules.

Compared to all the racing contests on Earth, there wasn't much difference in the content of the rules. Be the fastest and win will always be the number one golden principle of any competition of speed.

"Hm? What's this?" Ren raised an eyebrow at one particular sentence."Competitors are free to use weapons or equipment provided during the race to stop others from reaching first place. Wait! This is even allowed?!"

"Interesting, no?" Zae turned to the alien boy, eyeing his reaction."Or do you prefer to do this in a normal way? If it's so, then I'm afraid you cannot participate in this challenge, it may be too much for you to handle." Being invoked, the partial white haired boy narrowed his eyes in annoyed. Zae was amused by this reaction and he added more fuel to the fire."Play by my rule, didn't I say so?"

"Hm, hm, so basically." Gin picked his nose as usual while he looked at the rules."You can race and beat the crap out of your opponent at the same time. Man, sports nowadays sure sound like they were picked directly from video games. But yeah, a little change would make a fresh air out of the old-fashioned content, I mean, using weapons in the middle of a race? Heh, this is just like M*rio picks up mushrooms and that you-know-what star to help him burn those turtles and reached the flag faster."

"Gin, that is a really lame comparison." Ito retorted."Also, don't say burn, M*rio is not that violent. He is a cool, innocent plumber."

"That's right, if you want to compare…" Saruyama added in."Compare it to Ch*cobo R*cing game."

Rito sweat dropped at the conversation of his friends. Regardless, he ignored the noise and kept on reading the rules.

….

….

Through a special dimensional pocket machine built in the form of a giant circle, which was big enough for a tall adult to go through, the weapons and the equipment will be provided to the racer when the sensor installed in each of these technology detected the body heat within an appropriate vicinity.

Those items were allowed to freely use during the race, whether they were harmless or deadly was entirely depended on the competitors. If you phrased the rules in another way, the meaning would be literally like this: you are allowed to use everything you have to reach the first place, dirty tactics included. It did somehow sounded like a death race rather than a normal one.

The chance somebody might got hurt from this one rule was pretty much above average. Since he was the organizer of this event, Zae Debidan could perhaps take this as an opportunity to do whatever he wants in pulling the trick to exact his revenge on the guardians and the alien boy.

Which was why…..

To prevent the first prince of planet Debian from having the chance to use dirty tactic during the trial by setting up trap along the race tracks or through any other means, and to make the challenge a fair match, Zastin volunteered to be the one selecting the routine for the competitors to take.

"Therefore, please take a look at this."

A hologram of the planet Earth appeared in the center of the room, twice the size of an adult's height. Zastin pointed at the blinking dot located east of the country Japan.

"This is ours current location on the map. Rito-dono and Zae-dono, the routines I have marked for you all will be displayed as the following lines."

Using his hand, which wrapped inside a small circle of the interface, the commander drew many lines across the face of the floating globe, sometime zoomed in for detail description.

One line….

From the starting point to the forest below.

Three lines…

The town, the mountain.

Ten lines…

Across the sea to the South Pole….hm?

Fifteen lines….

From some unnamed island then all the way to the moon.…wait a second!

"WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" The group of boys shouted.

"W-what?! What is it?!" The commander was startled by the sudden act.

"What kind of routine are you drawing?!" Rito jumped out of his sitting spot."I understand the route you marked around Sainan region but you can't expect us to go all the way to the other side of the planet! And racing under the ocean no less?! That is absolutely impossible!"

To be more precisely, Zastin's selected routes consisted of half the size of the hologram sphere. Not to mention he drew a line to the continent lied across the ocean and another one that asking you to fly into space to reach the currently shiniest star on the sky.

Other than Gin himself, the boys was petrified so much that they had to scream before the Deviluke's number one swordsman marked the location of the finished line on top the moon.

The candidate, Zae Debidan was also paled in comparison at the monstrous routines. Luckily, he managed to put on a poker face and no one was looking. Yet, the emotion in his eyes was failed to get past the boys' sharp eyes.

On the other hand, the girls showed various reaction. No need to say anything about Index and the short brown haired girl with a goggle next to her as they was busy petting a calico cat whom Index carried inside her habit. Mikan sweat dropped at the sight, Lala was nonchalant as always and there seemed to be a big question mark popped on her head as she stared at the group of boys, who was panicking over Zastin's choice of racing routines.

"Moreover, going up there in space is out of the question! Zastin, you should aware how far the moon is! Please tone it down!"

"B-but this is the standard level of the Devilukean's competition of speed." Zastin explained, although the boys would hardly listen to his reason."Going from planet to planet is a popular form of racing among our people."

"From planet to planet?" Saruyama's jaw dropped, couldn't believe in what he just heard."How much stamina do you guys have?!"

The Devilukean race was even more terrifying than a monster.

Ito had to face-palm himself. Who were they kidding? They are the strongest race in the galaxy, of course everything about their strength, stamina and abilities would have been equal to the level of that of a monster.

However…

This was not the kind of racing contest applied to them. So…

"Denied!" The twin said altogether, crossing their arms to make an "X" shape.

Zastin's idea has been mercilessly flushed down the drain and the said person got no choice but to cover himself in depression at a small corner somewhere around the wide room.

…

…

"Oh, look. This got everything displayed very clear on the map. Even the tiniest detail on street like the trash can placed on the sideways is also here."

Following Saruyama's words, Rito carefully scanned through the floating interface appeared below the sphere made of hologram. The giant ball has turned into a large-scale map of Sainan, including the nearby regions as per requested by the boy himself to the candidate.

"You're right, it did included."

The orange haired boy was impressed, the details of the town showed on the map was quite amazing.

Standing on the side, Zae's patient has nearly run out as he waited for his opponent to officially pick a routine to start the race but the debate didn't seem to go anywhere. The self-proclaimed gentleman was annoyed but he won't show that disgusted feeling of his toward the guardian in front of his soon to be wife.

…..has those fools forgot why they were here in the first place?

Zae has prepared everything in advanced for the contest, now he just left the privilege of choosing which routine or circuit to take on the challenge to the guardian. Why? Simple. He was confident in his racing skill. This was one of his hobbies aside from shooting and practicing the type of martial art exclusive to only the Debian.

With it, having the advantage of being the challenger and the trump card he was still holding, the guardian would have no chance to beat him. Now, he would just have to wait a little bit more for the other party to determine the racing route.

"Man, you guys are so indecisive. Alright, give it to me." Gin made a comment and forced himself into the group, yanking the hologram pen from Rito's grasp."Just go from here, here, here, then here….and there! We have a full circuit for you to race to your heart's content."

Everyone stared at the two big, round circles stuck to a long stick drawn in the mid…..

Immediately, the silvery haired boy flew across the room as he received a couple of punches thrown right in the face.

"Seriously, what the heck is in that perm head of yours? Are you trying to corrupt Mikan and Lala's pure mind with your stupid idea?" Ito rubbed his hands, which covered in some sort of red substance."Let me remind you. This is a T rated story, don't pollute the readers' imagination."

"Lucky for you, none of the girls were looking. One of them is a nun so stop goofing around with your dirty illusion or I'm going to break it!" Daigo cracked his knuckles.

"Gin, are you that desperate about the weather lady getting married?" Even though speaking in a soft tone, Rito was not amused.

Tick mark popped out on Zae's head. Since they was taking too long to work it out together, the candidate has to step in and rushed them.

"Pardon my rudeness, but would you please hurry up?!"The Debian prince nearly lost his composure of a gentleman."Make up your mind and be quick about it!"

"Right." Ito rubbed the back of his head with a small sigh."This is getting nowhere."

Surprisingly, the brown haired boy picked the pen rolling on the floor and went back to where the group of girls was sitting.

"Mikan, the map is for you." He gently patted on Mikan's shoulder."You'll do the honor of choosing the racing routines."

"…eh?" The little sister pointed at herself, eyes opened wide.

…..

….

….

Preparation has been made under the Devilukean commander's supervision.

The tracks.

The warning signs.

The dimensional pocket machines along with the weapons and equipment stored in them.

The whole route has been arranged in many locations accordingly on the sky, inside the forest, the river and even in Sainan town by Zastin's subordinates.

"Commander Zastin! All the process has been completed, everything is ready!"

"Zae-dono, Rito-dono and any other individual, who wishes to aid the guardian, please proceed to the center of the room. You will be teleported to the starting line." Zastin announced as he was giving instruction.

The portal gate opened, Zae stepped into it and vanished. Before he had gone, he didn't miss an opportunity to give the other party a smug look on his face. The smirk he showed was enough to transpire the whole message. It seemed Zae was really confident that he believed he himself will be the winner.

Ren frowned at him and the alien boy quickly followed suit.

This is it.

The challenge is about to start.

Lala's freedom and her happiness can be continued on with the current life or not will entirely depend on this one moment.

Rito rubbed his right hand, taking sometime to inhale and let out a deep breath.

….calm down now….calm your nerve, you can't fail this. Don't think about the consequence that might happen after, focus on your one and only goal.

Making up his mind, the orange haired headed over to the portal. When he was about to step through it, a small hand tugged on his sleeve, gently pulling him back. Rito looked over his shoulder to see the person and much to his surprise, it was Mikan who stopped him.

"Mikan?"

There was this troubled look form on her already worried expression.

"Zastin-san." Without looking at the commander, the little sister still called out to him."Can I have a word with Rito before the challenge begin? It won't take long."

"O-of course, Mikan-dono."

She grabbed her brother's hand, holding it tight and leading him to a corner at the furthest side of the vast room. Rito had no idea what did Mikan want to say to him but no question was asked, he was willing to listen to his younger sister.

"…ne, Rito."

"?"

"I know this is not the time to say it but…."Mikan tapped on his nose as she stared at him closed in the eyes."Rito, you really should loosen up a little, you are being too tensed."

"….."

"You're worrying about losing this trial, aren't you?"

The orange haired jolted at the question, Mikan has saw through him.

"W-well, other than running track field or marathon back in middle school, I haven't been to any races….." Rito averted his eyes."I'm nervous but it's not like I don't think I can win this. It's just that…when this is over, I might not walk away unharmed, especially when we're allowed to use weapons. I might cause you and Lala worry."

"…"

"I said that but….that's not the only thing I'm concerned."

"What do you mean?"

"…..the result….."

If he made a small mistake during the race, it might have been the end of it. Lala's happiness would be taken away and of course, marking the obliteration of the Earth.

"It will be the end if I'm not doing well at this. The Devilukean Emperor, Lala's father's words are not something you can take lightly."

"…..Rito…."

The boy casted down his gaze to the ground. Deep down, he knew it would be useless to worry about it at a time like this.

But at the end of this trouble, there would be only two options available for him to look at.

One, the daily life continues. Lala can still look at every one with her usual bright smile and cheerful personality.

Second, the end of all things on the planet, following by a hopeless princess being forced to marry the person, who can't stop depend on his parents and saw her as nothing more than a trophy.

Whether Zae's feeling toward Lala was genuine or not didn't matter, the emerald green eyes girl couldn't stand him like how she saw other marriage candidates. That fact was enough to drive Rito further on wanting to win this challenge.

However, wanting to win is just easy words to speak.

To make it become a reality, he would ready to put his life on the line.

"I'm thinking about this way too seriously, I know." Before Mikan could say something, Rito spoke."But now that it comes to this moment, it's part of my responsibility to keep things the way they are. As a guardian, I have to give my all, I don't think I can be so light-hearted when it comes down to these kind of challenges when Lala's freedom and ours current life are being put on one side of a scale."

Mikan could see her brother's eyes softened as he said those words, she was surprised. Yuuki Rito has always been a kind and emotional person, though not everything would often resurface on that expression of his. What came from deep inside his heart, his thought, he rarely showed it only if he needed to. This time, when he finally consulted with her, those pair of golden-brown eyes were slightly wavering.

The little sister smiled thinly, her cheek reddened.

The whole time, he put his anxiety aside and kept looking out for Lala, he didn't want to make anybody feel worried. The boy has stayed true to those words he declared on that very night.

She raised a hand, signaling him to bend down so she could whisper a few words to his ear. She knew what she should do to would ease this worrywart of a brother of her from the amount of pressure he was putting up with.

Rito bended down, lowering his head to her height as she wanted.

Surprisingly, Mikan started warping her arms around his head and pulled into a hug. It wasn't just a few words that she wanted to say.

"….Mi….Mikan?"

"Honestly, my baka onii-chan is too kind for his own good." Said Mikan in a very tender tone as she stroked his hair. "It's alright, Rito."

"…."

"I have confidence in your capabilities to protect Lala-san and ours daily life. Besides, Ito said all members of the Yorozuya will always be there to support you. You don't need to worry about it so much."

"…..but sooner or later, we will still have to witness it, you know. The whole scenario will transpire in which way is depended on my every moves. If I lose-"

"Rito, I'm not talking about winning or losing." Mikan loosened her grasp and let go off the boy."Those kind of things don't matter."

"Huh?" Rito titled his head in confusion.

"Maybe it's true that you have to win this challenge so Lala will never be bothered by that candidate again. But that is not what you really should focus on. Because since the beginning you have already had one task given by Lala-san's father, right?"

Hearing those words, a realization struck him.

…..ah…that's right.

Winning or losing, both didn't matter. To him, to win and to defeat the candidate was nothing more than required objectives he needs to fulfill to be the guardian.

Wanting to win and afraid of losing were just the desires he unconsciously felt, they didn't prove the true purpose of why he was willing to get himself involved in this trouble.

"Do you get what I mean?"

What he truly should care about was not about winning the challenge. It was just a set of wall stood in his way.

What he should do was the one thing he has always been doing the entire time ever since he volunteered to be the princess's protector.

"I get it. The think I should focus on….." Rito looked straight into the girl's eyes, no more hint of wavering showed in his."Protect Lala's freedom from the candidates."

From there, he just kept moving forward. He would know what he need to do next without questioning.

"That is correct~." The young sister had this warm smile flashed on her relief expression.

….

….

Rito stepped through the portal. The sound of water flowing came to his ear and he gazed down at a river below.

The starting line was the bridge that connected a part of the Sainan town to the mountain, the only path that crossed through the big stream to reach Ren's home.

"Yuuki Rito, what took you so long?" Noticed the boy, Ren called out. He has already in position."Wait, why is there only you? What about the others?"

"Nii-san said he is not suited for this kind of competition so he's not going to join in. But he'll help us whenever he can. As for Saruyama and the others, they are watching over Lala and Mikan."

"I see. Hurry to your spot then, the challenge is about to start."

The partial white haired boy was standing on top a plank-liked shape that served as his racing vehicle. To be honest, he has just bought it online via the Galatic Market when he got back from school this afternoon then went on to practice with it immediately. As Ren done fixing his glove and both feet stood on the board, the thing automatically activated and slightly rose into the air.

One thing you should know about the race is that competitors can use any kind of transportations or vehicles as long as there is no illegal component installed in it.

Zae's vehicles took the appearance just like that of a motor without wheels. Instead of a round ring, it was replaced by a straight, flat object with air rapidly let out from inside like a minimum version of a whirlwind.

Rito could tell by the look of it, that vehicle Zae riding on was really fast considering the front part was forged into the sharp nose of a bullet train.

"Get in line, guardian." Zae snickered."Tonight, this challenge will be the moment when I finally claim back my pride that you had rudely shattered. I'll assure you both that you will be defeated in the most humiliated ways. Revenge can be really delightful."

Ren scowled at Zae, who laughed out loud in the self-confidence that he can win this effortlessly. The orange haired boy just ignored him and went to his position.

"Hm?" Ren raised an eyebrow as he saw the object Rito was carrying and put down to his feet."Yuuki Rito, that board….."

The alien boy pointed at the flat, metal plated hover board with a black swirl logo of Deviluke located at the center of its body. It has a similar pattern of three colors pink, yellow, gray and a purple stripe hugged around the edge.

"Ah, this." Rito lifted up his leg and stepped on the grey panel where two distinctive symbol lightened up. Instantly, it floated, hovering the air in a smooth motion."Lala gave it to me, it's one of her inventions."

…..

…..

"Lala-san, what did you just give him?" Mikan wondered as she and everyone stared at the big screen.

"It's called Spun Spun Racer-kun~!" The princess explained the new invention she just gave to the boy before he went through the portal."Knowing Rito would have a race with Zae, I created a high-tech invention that can help him a lot during the challenge. The board is designed to allow their rider to move, fly and even hover in mid-air at high speeds. Spun Spun Racer-kun consumes air and uses it as its source of energy, the board will never run out of fuel since the air will always be an unlimited resource. Rito can ride it as long as he wants."

"That is so convenient!" The little sister was amazed.

"Yes! With my new invention, Rito will definitely beat that stubborn candidate and win this challenge!"

….

….

Rito set his foot on the board, he was no longer touching the ground as the hover board carried him, floating still in the air while the fine sound of the machine's engine zoomed silently.

A second later, right at his spot, echoed a thud.

"Eh?"

The board suddenly stopped working and fell flat on the solid surface of the bridge, nearly caused the rider to stumble.

"….w-what the…..?" The orange haired boy was puzzled.

…

…

The little sister has this half-opened eyes with a sweat drop icon hang on top her head. She felt conflicted.

"Etou, Lala-san….." Mikan directed her finger at the big screen where the image of a troubled orange haired boy squirming around Lala's latest invention."Why is it stop working?"

"Hm, that's weird. Maybe I am missing something, it could be an error in the rider's authentication system or maybe the core hasn't fully integrated with the other parts yet."

"Does that means that high-tech board is still incomplete?" Ito questioned.

"Well~, I made it in a hurry." Lala rubbed the back of her head, smiling innocently."There wasn't enough time so I haven't tested it yet."

Mikan's confidence gauge slowly depleted to zero.

Ito knew his face began to turn white without a need to look in the mirror.

The other two boys offered a silent pray to the orange haired boy.

"But don't worry!" The girl clapped her hands, expressing her strong belief in a positive tone."If it is Rito, I know he will definitely win!...Ren-chan also!"

There was a delay in between her words, everybody ignored it anyway.

Despite seeing the failure in her new invention, the Devilukean princess still appeared carefree and her high spirit character exceeded beyond the normal boundary.

She held a strong sense of trust toward the protector, whom made her heart fluttered and it still was when he declared those important words on that very night.

"After all, is it exactly like what you had just told him earlier, Mikan." Lala turned to look at the little sister sitting next to her. Mikan was giving her a wondering stare."I also have absolute confidence in his capability to protect my freedom and ours daily life."

The girl showed a bright smile on her lip.

On the screen, Rito has already made the high-tech board working again. Although, how he did it to the invention without Lala's exclusive intelligence was unknown.

…...

…

"So Lala gave it to you, huh." Ren shrugged it off but you can obviously see a hint of envious revealed by the look in his eyes."Well, isn't that great. You got to use the tool created by those small, gentle, caring, golden hands of my goddess."

The alien boy pretended to look away, doing the handsome pose by running a hand through his hair.

"B-but don't get me wrong though, it's not like I am jealous of you or anything." Tightly shutting his eyes, Ren hid the watery filled vision from both the boy and the candidate's sight."Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous, okay? As if I would be jealous about it."

He kept repeating the term that described half of the mixed expression on his face. After a moment of silence, he jumped out of the board he was riding and rushed to Rito, firmly grabbing the boy's shoulder.

"Say, Yuuki Rito, do you want to switch your board with mine?" He said those words without an ounce of hesitation or shame.

"Aren't you already got your own?"

Of course, the idea was wholeheartedly rejected.

According to Lala, the board won't accept anyone else except for those whom she has given permission and access to use it. In this case, only Rito could use it as she had the thing to memorize his identification.

Ren lumbered back to his racing board with a heavy atmosphere wrapped around him. He would recover very quickly from this depression, no doubt.

Near the side of the starting line, Zae has overheard the conversation. Needless to say, he was extremely angry at the fact that his future wife dare give the boy her invention to aid him in defeating the one who will soon become her husband. This fueled the fire inside Zae and it burnt stronger than before.

Forget about trying to humiliate the guardian, the plan to permanently get rid of that filthy Earthling brat steadily formed in the back of his mind.

And so, the first prince of Debian finally desired to look for an opportunity to eliminate Yuuki Rito during the race.

Surely, there would be no problem if he made it look like an accident.

…..

…..

Altogether, the competitors looked up at a small board made of hologram which appeared out of thin air. On the screen, the commander Zastin was holding a micro in his hand as he spoke.

"As the judge of this trial, I hereby announce the start of this racing contest."

Competitors' names were read out loud.

Zae Debidan, the first prince of planet Debian and also the challenger.

Yuuki Rito, the princess's guardian.

Ren Elsie Jewelria, the prince of planet Memorze.

"And finally, the fourth competitor…"

The three competitors rose their eyes at the next announcement.

Wait, there is a fourth?!

" **Saruyama Kenichi, student of Sainan High School."**

Rito's mouth opened wide in shock, he paled a little. Zastin hasn't finished yet.

"….and….and…" The silver haired man blinked at the text."Lala-sama's unofficial guardian?"

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

Everyone followed the excited voice to their right. Saruyama was standing there right next to Rito, the backward spiky haired boy has this sparkling aura around him.

"Now it's my time to shine!" He exclaimed loudly.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HEREEEEEEEE?!" Rito cried out in disbelief.

…..

…..

"WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING THEREEEEEE?!" Ito cried out in disbelief."No, wait! How did he even go there through the portal in the first place?! When?!"

"Misaka has a good explanation for that." In her monotone, the short brown haired girl, who sat next to Daigo, raised up a hand."It was from earlier when we were all captivated by the bear hug this little sister gave to that orange haired boy on the screen, this Saruyama person went into the portal on his own, says Misaka as she turns to the spiky haired boy with a hint of expectation."

Hearing that, Daigo didn't dare to make a move. He looked away as a prominent dark aura started to form around Index. Even the calico cat on her lap was shaking.

The brown haired brother grew paled while the little sister in question had her face burn red like a strawberry.

"You…..y-you all were watching?!"

"Mikan-chan, even though this room is vast, it's still really bright, you know." Gin fueled her embarrassment gauge, he totally meant it."Intimate acts can hardly go unnoticed."

Having no way to counter that, Mikan buried her face into her knees.

What a cute reaction she had, Lala's opinion.

…..

…..

"Saruyama, yo-"

"Hold!" Saruyama held up a hand, stopping the orange haired boy from saying anything further."I know what you are trying to tell me. But sorry buddy, there is no way I'm going back since Lala-chan's freedom is at stake here."

"T-this kind of thing is no joke! Listen to me, this is very risky, we can't predict what will happen! You might get injured or something worst because of the weapons we're allowed to use in the race! You have to go back!"

Rito really hoped his friend will think twice and withdraw from this contest, the boy was extremely worried about his well-being. In the beginning, Saruyama has nothing to get himself involved in this troublesome challenge but yet he kept insisting to shoulder this burden together with him and his brother.

By any mean, this challenge could inflict serious injures upon the body. Saruyama was no more than an ordinary high school student, if he participated in it, his life would be placed on the edge of a knife.

Much to the orange haired boy's nervous that increased in each second past, Saruyama's resolve won't sway that easily.

"Then leave you and Ren to race alone against that candidate?" The black haired student shook his head."No way, I finally get the chance to prove how badass I am to Lala-chan and Mikan-chan but most importantly, I finally have the chance to help you! I'm not going to back out!"

Why were you including Mikan?

An anime ring-tone rang up in Saruyama's pocket. They both knew Ito was trying to call him.

[Saruyama, get back to the ship! I'll tell Zastin to open the por-]

"Nope, not going back." Saruyama interrupted in a calm voice, he has already made up his mind."Like I said, this is my time to shine."

[Save the moment of glory, you have plenty of chances for that at school and other occasions!]

"Ito, you've never good at these sort of competitions so I'll fill in your part, too."

The voice in the other side of the call went quiet.

"I won't be a hindrance to you guys. That's why, this time, at the very least…."

Pointing the thumb at himself, Saruyama puffed out his chest in confidence while Rito couldn't help but let out a small sigh…..before a thin smile formed on his lip.

" **You can count on your best buddy."**

He has made a point and there was nothing they could do about it. Despite that, the twin felt really proud and thankful when he declared that.

"Alright."

[Alright.]

The assistance has been accepted. Still, that left for one tiny issue.

"But, Saruyama, how are you going to race without-?"

"My racing gear? Don't worry, I've already had it." Eyeing the bicycle he was riding on.

Repeat, it was a bicycle.

"Man, lucky me! I found this bike in the parking lot of a convenience store just a couple of blocks from this bridge, the manager of that place was kind enough to let me borrow it for a night since I am regular customer there!" Saruyama made a broad smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

That was not the point, the point here was that he brought a bicycle to a high speed contest of the alien.

"Saruyama….."

"?"

"Good luck."

Rito decided not to say anything. In respond, Saruyama gave him a thumb up.

"All racers, on your mark." Zastin announced.

Tension built up, the orange haired boy returned to his hover board. Before the count to three starts, he startled a bit when Ren passed him an eye protector.

"Wear it, you are going to need it to shield your eyes properly."

Following his word, Rito worn it and the dark street became clear to his eyes through the clean glass.

"Thanks."

Ren didn't reply back. Rito knew what this meant, he didn't lend him this protective gear just to help him get a good start.

This was a collaboration. Moreover, it was also a declaration to an equal rival.

… **.I won't lose….**

The message was clear.

Other than the priority which was to defeat the candidate, Ren wanted to have a fair and square match with the guardian as well.

"Countdown begin!"

 **{3}**

A thought circulated deep in Rito's mind.

….this is fine.

Aside from defeating the candidate to protect Lala was his goal, he didn't plan to give in to Ren either.

Therefore, this challenge wasn't just where they will help each other to put a stop to Zae's intention of marrying Lala.

(Rito and Ren versus Zae)

 **{2}**

It was also a rematch of their own competition, the moment where the shape of their rivalry will be forged.

(Rito versus Ren)

 **{1}**

Zae tightened his grip on the handlebars.

Ren fixed both feet on the leg panels.

Rito inhaled and exhaled in deep breath, raising his concentration to the max.

Saruyama grinned like an idiot pretended to be a pro.

 **{GO!}**

A massive storm raged, blowing away everything behind its back.

The insane, roaring sound of engine crushed the tranquil nature of midnight.

Three racers torn apart the cold air and rushed off to the distance like piercing arrows, leaving only a person behind as he clumsily pushed the pedals to run the bicycle.

Dust and smoke flew everywhere on the bridge.

By the time that person made it out and headed to the road, the insanely loud noise of the engine has already got smaller and smaller and eventually went dead deep in the mountain forest.

Back on the spaceship, some of the audiences watched and sweat dropped as they felt pity for him.

Saruyama turned his head down.

Awkward.

It was so awkward.

But wasn't that nice? At this nice pace, he would probably never get hurt from those weapons Zae prepared for the race.

" **UNBELIEVABBBBBLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**

And with that….

The challenge has officially begun.

/

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, next chapter is where the race truly starts along with the dangers that awaits Rito and Ren. (and possibly Saruyama, too)**

 **Eramis8: Thanks, I feel like this how their relationship should have turned out to be if Ren decided to tune down his competitive ego with Rito. There are still plenty of character developments for Ren to go through, though. Hopefully, at the end of this arc, Ren could find a way to shorten his distance with the guardians and his goddess.**

 **That's about it.**

 **Review the chapter if you please, criticism is also greatly appreciate. I will see you in the next note.**


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